TAIPEI - Taiwan’s Tourism Administration on Feb 7 told travel agents to stop organising new group tours to China since Beijing has yet to allow such trips to the island by Chinese tourists and has altered a flight path in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Post Covid-19 pandemic, China has largely resumed permission for its nationals to visit a host of popular tourist destinations including Japan, but has yet to add Taiwan back on its approved list amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

China regards the self-governing Taiwan as its territory to be reunified. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.

Taiwan had planned to resume group tours for Taiwanese to China from March 1, after they were suspended during the pandemic, and the tourism authority said tours already organised from that date to May 31 could go ahead.

But “considering the change in the situation”, including China not allowing Chinese to visit Taiwan and China’s altering of a flight route through the Taiwan Strait last week, Taiwanese travel agencies cannot arrange any more tours, said the Tourism Administration in a statement.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, responding to the tour move, said Taiwan was “blowing hot and cold” in having previously said it wanted such tours to resume, and then stopping them.

“This will only make the Taiwanese people and the tourism industry once again be dissatisfied with the political manipulation of tourism by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities,” it said, referring to the ruling party.

Taiwan’s government expressed anger after China “unilaterally” changed the flight path close to the strait’s median line, saying it appeared to be a deliberate attempt to change the status quo for possible military means.

China has downplayed the furore, saying it is a routine measure to alleviate airspace pressure.

Taiwanese are still able to visit China on individual trips, while Chinese who live in third countries have since September 2023 been allowed to enter Taiwan again as tourists. REUTERS