The Ministry of Economic Affairs will cooperate with the Mainland Affairs Council to lower the restrictions on businessmen from the PRC wishing to visit Taiwan, officials with the Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT) said Friday.
BOFT officials said the present measures allow only those PRC businessmen who have actually bought locally made products to travel to Taiwan to take part in relevant meetings, tours and related activities, such as product inspections.
In the face of the increased trade and economic exchanges between the two sides, however, it is necessary to relax the present measures to facilitate visits to Taiwan by PRC buyers as a means of helping generate greater purchase from China, they noted.
Ideas being studied include slashing the required combined minimum purchase by PRC businesses to Taiwan-based firms from US$500,000 to US$200,000 over three years, lowering the lowest level for sole purchase missions from US$200,000 to US$100,000 and removing the requirement that visits to Taiwan by PRC businessmen are only permitted for carrying out quality control missions here, according to the officials.
Economics ministry statistics show that a total of 672 PRC visitors came to Taiwan to view and purchase goods last year, accounting for only 10.5 percent of the total number of people permitted to visit for trade or economic activities.
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