New hotlines to help people evaluate possible safety risks before they travel to China, Hong Kong or Macau have been launched, the Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement on Monday.
The hotlines were launched amid a rise in inquiries from Taiwanese planning to travel to China, the council said.
The number of people who used its “Online Registration System for Taiwanese Citizens Visiting Mainland China” this year through Oct. 31 had increased 14-fold from the same period last year, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Registrations for people traveling to Hong Kong and Macau had increased five-fold from the same period last year, it added.
Taiwanese traveling to China do not have to inform the government, but for safety reasons, there is a system that allows it, the council said.
To assist people to use the new online registration system, or to evaluate potential safety risks of their travel plans, the council and the Straits Exchange Foundation jointly launched the hotline services, which are available on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, it said.
People planning to travel to China can use the Mainland Affairs Council’s hotline at (02) 2397-5589 (ex 5011) or the Straits Exchange Foundation’s hotline at (02) 2175-7000 (ex 7033), while people traveling to Hong Kong or Macau can contact the council at (02) 2397-5589 (ex 6015), the statement said.
The services were launched after Beijing amended and enacted national security laws in the past few years, and on June 21 issued a new set of guidelines targeting advocates of Taiwanese independence.
There have also been multiple cases of Taiwanese being “illegally detained, held and interrogated” in China, the council said.
The council on June 27 raised its travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to the second-highest “orange” level, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel there due to increasing safety concerns, it added.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS