Starting today, Chinese nationals holding family visitor visas can enter Taiwan by direct ferry or flight via Kinmen and Matsu, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Tuesday.
The travel permit applies to all Chinese visiting relatives in Taiwan proper, Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, including those on long-term visits, the council said.
Last month, Kinmen County Commissioner Chen Fu-hai (陳福海) asked MAC Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) to help restore ferries and flights between Taiwan’s outlying islands and China,” Kinmen Tourism Bureau said in a separate news release.
Photo: CNA
The suspension of direct ferries and flights amid the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant hardship to Chinese spouses to Kinmen residents and those with families on different sides of the Taiwan Strait, Chen said.
Chen also spoke with Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman David Lee (李大維) and MAC Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) when they visited the county this month, it said.
The county welcomes the MAC’s decision to reach out to China and it will continue to advocate relaxing border regulations, Chen said.
Chen’s mediation between Taipei and Beijing facilitated the restoration of the pre-pandemic “status quo” in travel, which resulted in the liberalization of border controls for visitors from China, said Lee Ming-pei (李銘培), Kinmen County Tourism Department Director.
The number of Chinese travelers to Kinmen has steadily increased since the partial restoration of the “small three links,” he said, adding that about 3,000 people travel between China and the county daily.
People planning to see their family members in China should consult the National Immigration Agency’s eligibility standards before making plans and make requests through the agency’s office in Kinmen, Lee said.
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