Five countries have in the past few months canceled preferential visa treatment for Taiwan passport holders due to pressure from China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
It was responding to a report by the National Audit Office that the number of countries offering preferential visa treatment to holders of Taiwan passports had dropped from 171 at the end of last year to 166 in April.
In its Central Government Budget Audit Report, the National Audit Office also said that the ministry had failed to provide timely updates on the visa changes, which could affect Taiwan passport holders’ overseas travel.
Photo: CNA
In response to media queries, the ministry said in a statement that some of the countries that had recently canceled preferential visa treatment for Taiwanese did so after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government.”
It did not elaborate.
Botswana, for example, recently changed Taiwan’s designation on the drop-down menu on its e-visa application system from “Taiwan” to “China” due to pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the ministry said.
The change meant Taiwan passport holders could no longer apply for an e-visa to Botswana, it said.
Last year, Colombia canceled its visa-free treatment for Taiwan passport holders. Only Taiwanese who also have US or Schengen Area visas or residency can travel visa-free to Colombia, it said.
The ministry said it discussed the issue with Colombia before the change, but the South American country insisted on going through with it.
It suspected that the PRC could be behind the decision, the ministry said, without providing further details.
The ministry pledged to ensure that any changes affecting Taiwan visa treatment are made public as soon as it is aware of them.
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