The Tourism Administration recently communicated with major travel agencies around Taiwan to advise Taiwanese citizens to register with the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “Online Registration System for Taiwanese Citizens Visiting Mainland China” before traveling to China. The notification comes on the heels of the 17 response strategies against national security and united front threats, which President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced last month.
Mainland Affairs Chairman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) emphasized that registration is not mandatory but is highly encouraged. The system was first established to ensure that the Taiwanese government can provide assistance as soon as possible in the event of an emergency; the incidence of Taiwanese people being questioned or detained has also increased during recent years.
Asked whether the reopening of cross-strait tourism poses a national security concern, Chiu responded that the MAC has always consulted the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits before making decisions in this regard. Previously, when both sides of the strait were open to tourists, specific industries monopolized profits by providing a one-stop service for mainland tourists, damaging the quality of domestic tourism.
Chiu reiterated that China currently has not shown goodwill towards Taiwan. If mainland tourist groups are co-opted by the CCP, this will enable them to conduct united front operations and attempt to politically and economically coerce Taiwan, he said.