The Chinese mainland has publicly condemned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for what it describes as obstructive actions against cross-Straits tourism and other exchanges. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, voiced these concerns on Friday, emphasizing that the DPP's behavior disregards public opinion and the best interests of the island.
In response to recent applications for Taiwan inspection tours submitted by tourism operators in Fujian Province and Shanghai Municipality, Zhu highlighted that these submissions came shortly after the mainland announced the resumption of Taiwan group tour services for residents of Fujian and Shanghai in January.
Despite these developments, Taiwan authorities have asserted that issues related to mainland tourism to Taiwan, including the inspection tours, should be addressed by the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and the mainland-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits. Zhu criticized these claims as mere excuses to impede mainland tourists from visiting Taiwan.
She further pointed out that the mainland's proactive efforts to revive cross-Straits tourism have been well-received by Taiwan's tourism industry and the general public. However, the DPP authorities' negative stance and attempts to block these initiatives have significantly dampened industry expectations.
Zhu concluded by warning that persistent obstruction by the DPP authorities could lead to a loss of public support and result in adverse consequences for their actions.
Reference(s):
Mainland slams Taiwan's DPP for obstructing cross-Straits tourism
cgtn.com
