Rising number of Chinese tourists worry lawmakers

As cross-strait talks on opening Taiwan's doors to Chinese tourists become a real possibility, party representatives from across the spectrum expressed support, but urged the government to insist on official dialogue.

While and pan-green party representatives put up no objections to the new travel policies that would allow 1,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan each day, the pan-greens took a more cautious attitude on the matter yesterday, calling on the government to minimize the side effects of the new regulations.

The new policies have yet to be formalized or implemented, and officials from the Mainland Affairs Council have said that the number of tourists and the duration of stay is still negotiable.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lai Ching-te (賴清德) put voice to concerns that the problem of illegal immigration would become more acute with the relaxation of travel bans.

"[I] hope that when the time comes, the tourists won't disappear, leaving us searching for them," Lai said.

Taiwan grants entry only to Chinese residents who live abroad and Chinese tourists who pass through another country before arriving in Taipei. Restrictions prevent Chinese residents from traveling directly to Taiwan, although tours of the outlying islands are possible through the "small three links."

Lai that under the current policies, where Chinese residents of higher economic standing visit Taiwan, illegal immigration is already a common occurrence.

The Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) caucus whip cited the impact the measures may have on national security, highlighting that the new tourism measures had to be put to state-level negotiations.

"There is no room for authorizing representatives from the private sector to negotiate the matter," Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said.

Lo allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan "is not a cross-strait matter but an issue between two sovereign nations, Taiwan and China."

He said that while the party supported the measures, details had to be negotiated by government representatives. Otherwise, he said, the TSU would oppose the measures "to the [bitter] end."

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, however, Beijing has made clear that relaxing restrictions on Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan was an "issue between Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."