KMT legislators question Taiwan’s tourism promotion in China

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin, in a press conference on Monday (May 6), raised questions about a bid issued by the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association Shanghai Branch Office on April 30. 

The bid, which involves managing social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu, has raised concerns about whether mainland Chinese companies are also eligible to bid.

The bid, with a budget of about NT$1.45 million, aims to enhance the Shanghai office's social media presence and increase mainland China's attention to Taiwan's tourism market. It requires a minimum of 150,000 traffic per month for original posts, interaction with online users, and sharing posts that promote Taiwan's tourism.

KMT Legislator Ye Yuan-zhi pointed out that in the past, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications established the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association to carry out its operations through subsidies. The annual budget is around NT$28 million, with three offices on the mainland. In 2023, the operations included continuously updating the simplified Chinese version of the official website and platforms such as iQIYI, Tencent, Douyin, and Mango TV.

However, KMT Taoyuan City Councilor Ling Tao criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for having a double standard for resisting China while profiting. He pointed out that Premier Chen Chien-jen had previously stated that these social media platforms are platforms for cognitive warfare. He said that when KMT legislators went to the mainland for exchanges in the past, they were accused of selling out Taiwan. But now, when the central government promotes tourism, it is seen as loving Taiwan. 

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