Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), when asked to comment on rumors that China is planning to reduce its daily number of tourists to Taiwan, said that he hopes China will not “use business to push politics.”
Ko, who is on his first trip to the US since taking office in 2014, met with Taiwanese expatriates in San Francisco on Saturday and visited an Agape dental mobile clinic.
In response to media requests for comment on a rumor that China plans to cut its tourist numbers to Taiwan, Ko said his government has drafted plans to diversify its tourist base and will seek to attract more visitors from Japan and the 10 ASEAN member states.
Taipei will try to avoid “putting all its eggs in one basket,” Ko said.
Rumors have surfaced over the past few months that China would reduce its tourist numbers to Taiwan to pressure president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) into accepting the so-called “1992 consensus” — which refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party do not recognize the “1992 consensus.”
Mainland Affairs Council Chief Secretary Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿) said on Thursday last week that Sunday would be “a day to watch” in terms of whether China reduces its tourist quota for Taiwan.
Ko flew to San Francisco, a sister city of Taipei, on Tuesday last week to begin a nine-day visit in the US. He is also scheduled to visit Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona — two other sister cities.
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