Lienchiang County proposed yesterday that independent tourists from China be allowed to visit the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu first before Taiwan is opened fully to this segment of Chinese travelers.
Taiwan will need to negotiate details with China before the plan can go ahead, county officials said.
Chinese tourists are currently required to visit Taiwan as part of tour groups, but Taiwan and China have been discussing the possibility that some tourists be allowed to travel to Taiwan independent of tour groups. The idea to use Matsu (the main island chain in Lienchiang County) and Kinmen as testing grounds for the policy was raised by Lienchiang County Commissioner Yang Sui-sheng (楊綏生) during a visit to Matsu by Mainland Affairs Council Minister Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛).
Lienchiang-elected Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠) and Lienchiang County Council speaker Chen Kuei-chung (陳貴忠) were also on hand to push the idea.
As part of its efforts to draw more Chinese tourists, the county is seeking to further expand ferry services between Matsu and China by adding a new route to Huangqi in Guangdong Province, the officials said, beyond the current services that reach only Fujian Province.
Also, the officials said, the county hopes that application procedures for Chinese citizens traveling to Matsu and Kinmen via the “small three links” can be simplified.
Lai said she would help push for the plan, the officials said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS