TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO, 國台辦) spokesperson expressed optimism on Wednesday (Dec. 25) about residents from cities like Shanghai visiting Taiwan, and announced plans to explore expanding travel opportunities. Speaking at a press briefing, Chen Binhua (陳斌華) attributed the hurdles in cross-strait tourism to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) administration. He urged the DPP to promptly remove the barriers hindering personnel exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.
Also, Chen criticized the administration's "inconsistent policies," recalling that they briefly lifted the travel ban to the mainland in March, only to reinstate it in June. Last August, Chen noted, the administration used the so-called principle of reciprocity as an excuse to maintain the ban. Speaking at the "Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum" (雙城論壇) on Dec. 17, Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan (華源) announced that the city will actively promote said group tours for Shanghai residents to Taiwan, and extended a warm invitation to Taipei citizens and Taiwanese compatriots to visit Shanghai more often.
