Premier Simon Chang (張善政) yesterday dismissed speculation that the number of Chinese visitors would drop by 30 percent from March 20, saying that tourist numbers have actually increased.
Speaking at a question-and-
answer session in the legislature, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said that during a recent visit to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), he noticed that about one-third of the shops were empty and he was concerned that a sharp drop in Chinese tourist numbers would have a serious impact on the tourism industry.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said he had not heard anything about a Chinese government plan to limit the number of tourists from his Chinese counterpart.
The number of Chinese tourists “depends on market demand and progress in cross-strait relations,” Hsia said, adding that the Tourism Bureau is working on a raft of measures should a drop occur, such as a project to attract more visitors from Southeast Asia.
Statistics showed that the number of Chinese visiting as members of tour groups fell slightly in January and last month, but the number of Chinese traveling independently surged, so the total number actually grew by more than 10 percent over the period, Chang said.
The premier said he agreed with Lai that political and economic interactions between China and Taiwan were different spheres and should be kept separate.
In Beijing, when asked whether China plans to cut the number of tourists allowed to visit Taiwan, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) said that he was not aware of any developments about that “situation now.”
However, “Chinese are concerned about the development of cross-strait relations, especially after May 20,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
See BUREAU on page 4
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
RSS