Thinking of traveling to China anytime soon? An increase in the number of Taiwanese citizens being detained upon arrival in China and a potential orange alert may make you reconsider.
Gliding down the river in a bamboo raft or visiting local temples; There are many things to do while traveling across China. However, plans may change now that the Mainland Affairs Council is expecting to raise travel warnings as soon as this Thursday.
Citizens would be advised to avoid non-essential travel to China with the travel warning jumping three levels to an orange alert.
When DPP Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) asked what the Foreign Ministry is doing to inform the public of this risk, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) responded with news of the orange alert.
The last time Taiwan issued an orange alert to China was in 2020 during the pandemic, which raises questions about the reasoning behind the recent consideration.
The Mainland Affairs Council revealed that there has been an increase in the number of Taiwanese citizens detained and investigated upon arrival in China under their national security and counterespionage laws.
Just this month a Taiwanese member of a tour group visiting the Fujian Province was detained, investigated, and wasn’t released until several days after the rest of the group had returned to Taiwan. While the details are still under investigation, it is speculated that the traveler caught Chinese officials’ attention due to their previous occupation.
Travel Agent Association of Taiwan (TAAT) Chair Hsiao Po-jen (蕭博仁) says that China and Taiwan need to meet one another halfway if they want to continue communications. He says he believes that whoever wants to go to China will still go regardless.
The Mainland Affairs Council stated that the matter is still under discussion, and a conclusion won’t be reached until later this afternoon. Regardless, the tourism industry worries about how such discussions may impact the public’s willingness to travel to China.