In a significant development, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of mainland China has announced the resumption of tourist visits to Taiwan by residents of Fujian province. This easing of restrictions was communicated to a visiting delegation from Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), a political party that advocates for closer ties with China.
The resumption of tourism will initially be limited to Taiwan’s Matsu islands, which are situated near the Fujian coast. Group tours will be permitted once ferry services between Fujian’s Pingtan and Taiwan’s main island are restored. These measures come amidst ongoing cross-strait tensions, particularly since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, whose Democratic Progressive Party supports the status quo rather than unification with China.
William Lai, the current vice president under Tsai, was the DPP’s presidential candidate in 2024. The KMT’s emergence as the dominant party in Taiwan’s legislative elections in January has prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to seek closer relations with the party. Earlier this month, Xi met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, also from the KMT, for the first time in over eight years in Beijing, praising Ma’s stance against Taiwan independence and his efforts to promote peaceful cross-strait development.
