AI summary
Summary of article:
When mainland tourists applied to travel to Taiwan, they were asked to correct documents marked “Taiwan, China” and sign a declaration of non-affiliation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, leading to criticism from the tourism industry and debate between the government and the opposition. The Immigration Department said it will review it in accordance with the law and correct its statement.
A mainland Chinese citizen who ranked third recently posted on a social platformthreads A document was posted stating that additional documents were requested to be provided by the Immigration Department for travel to Taiwan. The review opinion stated that the hotel reservation form showed “Taiwan, China” and requested a new reservation form with the dwarf text removed and a handwritten signature stating “Respect Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country, and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other.” Immigration Director Lynn Hongen said yesterday that everything will be reviewed according to the law, but the wording of the review will be improved to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the future.
The Home Affairs Committee of the Legislative Yuan yesterday reviewed the general budget of the Immigration Department and other agencies for the next year. Lin Hongnan was interviewed during the meeting and said that tourists from all over the world are welcome to visit Taiwan, but they must comply withRepublic of China According to the regulations, the Regulations on Relations between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland Area, Measures for Licensing Tourist Activities, etc., if it is an insult to dignity, the Immigration Department may refuse to grant permission or cancel the permit.
An insider at the Immigration Department revealed that this case will definitely be reviewed in accordance with the law, but the initial review opinion should be clearer and more comprehensive. It’s not just about hotels or restaurants.air ticket If “Taiwan, China” appears on the pre-order, you will have to make a supplement or even write a statement that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other.” This requirement is not a normal SOP procedure.
He further stated that in this case, the content of the itinerary was suspected to be inconsistent with the purpose of the tourist permit, and the reviewers were skeptical, so he requested supplementary documents to explain, emphasizing that “all review standards must be judged on a case-by-case basis.”
Xu Yuzhen, general secretary of the Kuomintang League, said that as a democratic country, Taiwan should not require tourists to express their views on Taiwan’s national sovereignty. This is not the behavior of a democratic country, but is like the behavior of a dictatorial country. He asked that if tourists from other countries come to Taiwan, will the Immigration Department also require them to apply again? We call on the Immigration Department not to adopt double standards and not to indulge in anti-China and anti-Taiwan issues in the final phase of the elections.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhong Jiabin said that if the other party’s travel and certification documents carry the risk of promoting China’s united front, then of course we must exercise caution.
Chen Qinglong, chief organizer of the People’s Party Legislative Yuan Caucus, said that when the immigration department reviews tourists’ travel applications, there should be unified and clear standards to avoid people being confused.
Zhang Han, spokesman for Mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized yesterday that “Democratic Progressive Party officials stubbornly adhere to the separatist stance of Taiwan independence and have repeatedly erected restrictions and walls on cross-Strait tourism and exchanges in various regions. This is purely political manipulation, with a hidden purpose.” He also said that the desire of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to get closer and the common trend of cross-Strait exchange and cooperation is unstoppable. Any action that subverts history and goes against the trend will be repulsed by public opinion.
Chiu Chui-cheng, Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, attended a symposium at Taipei City University yesterday and emphasized that the Mainland Affairs Council is the government agency that needs cross-Strait exchanges most, and it least wants to lose exchange opportunities. Therefore, he advocates that exchanges should be a “united front, non-politicized and risk-free” while maintaining professional exchanges and common contacts, so that young people can participate with peace of mind.
Anonymous Taiwanese tourism industry operators criticized that opening up tourism must be convenient for people and requires handwritten political awareness documents, which “is basically something only a third world country would do.” The approach of the Immigration Department is to deliberately block entry. “It is better to write directly on the official website of the Immigration Department that dogs and Chinese people are not allowed to enter.”
The industry pointed out that many foreign airline reservation systems also indicate “Taiwan, China” when booking air tickets to Taiwan. Does the Civil Aviation Administration also want to ban everyone from returning to Taiwan? The government wants to achieve the target of 10 million tourists, but it still requires signatures on political awareness documents. Is it because there are so many tourists?
Summary FAQ
-
The applicant was to submit a supplemental accommodation reservation removing the words “Taiwan, China”, and a handwritten signature declaring, “Respect Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country, and that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other.” This led to questions being raised in the outside world whether the review had been overly politicized.
-
The Immigration Department said all documents are reviewed in accordance with the law. If the content of the document involves an insult to dignity or is inconsistent with the purpose of tourism, the permit may be refused or cancelled. Insiders said it is a case-by-case decision, and the same SOP does not apply in all cases.
-
The Kuomintang criticized that tourists should not be required to express their sovereignty, while the People’s Party advocated that standards should be consistent and clear; The Democratic Progressive Party believed that there was a need to be careful of the risk of United Front propaganda, while tourism industry operators criticized the behavior of Third World countries. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council also accused Taiwan of imposing sanctions to hinder exchanges.
