The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday advised Taiwanese to postpone trips to Cuba after a Taiwanese national and members of his family were denied entry upon arrival in Havana.
Danny Yen, a Taiwanese living in Canada, was told by Cuban authorities that Havana adheres to Beijing’s “one China” policy, and that the family would not be allowed entry due to poor Taiwan-China relations. The ministry said that Taiwan has a visa-free travel agreement with Cuba, which allows Taiwanese to visit the country for up to 180 days as long as they have a Cuba Tourist Card, and that it was not aware of any changes to the agreement.
The situation is not that surprising. Cuba, which is still under US sanctions and relies heavily on tourism, was hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic as worldwide travel came to a screeching halt. Still reeling from the impact of the pandemic, the country was hit with a fuel crisis in March that left many Cubans unemployed.
The US has alleged that China is spying on the US and neighboring countries from Cuba, and it is not unlikely that Beijing has agreed to supply Havana with economic assistance in exchange for some concessions — including curbs on Taiwanese tourists.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency on Oct. 6 published an interview with Yoelkis Salazar, director of Cuba’s state-run travel agency, in which Salazar is cited as saying that the two countries might resume direct flights to boost tourism.
Cuba is not an important trade partner for Taiwan, but it is a tourism destination for Taiwanese who travel to the Caribbean, and the national baseball team plays against Cuba in international competitions. What is more concerning about Yen’s case is the precedent it sets for other countries.
Several countries have cut ties with Taiwan in the past few years, including Nicaragua in 2021 and Honduras in March. After Nicaragua switched ties to Beijing, it repealed a free-trade agreement (FTA) that the two countries had enjoyed for 15 years. Taiwan-Honduras bilateral trade reached US$166.4 million in 2020, the year before the FTA was repealed. In August, Nicaragua signed a new FTA with Beijing.
As China ramps up diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, it might coerce an increasing number of countries into limiting economic, cultural and other exchanges with Taipei, and more Taiwanese might find their movements abroad restricted. Other countries could put unannounced entry bans on Taiwanese citizens.
It is imperative that the government take action against foreign governments that unilaterally terminate their travel agreements with Taiwan. Entry bans on Taiwanese should be reciprocated, and met with restrictions on other exchanges with those countries. The government should make it clear that exchanges with Taiwan are greatly beneficial, and that any restrictions would be met with a resolute and relentless response.
Taipei should also discuss the issue with Washington, which might be willing to coordinate such responses. Obviously, Washington does not have any influence over Cuban policy. However, Taiwan and the US have a vested interest in the containment of Chinese influence elsewhere in Central and South America.
Taipei must act swiftly and resolutely to prevent a potential trend of countries denying entry to Taiwanese under Beijing’s instructions.
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