Mainland China tour group arrives in Taiwan’s Matsu as Beijing eases travel curbs

Fujian residents are the first group to visit the Taipei-governed islands since the Covid-19 pandemic

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The mainland tourists to Matsu are employed in industries such as trade and tourism, and they are hoping to explore business opportunities across the Taiwan Strait in addition to sightseeing, according to Taiwanese media. Photo: CNA

Published: 4:18pm, 11 Aug 2024Updated: 8:20pm, 11 Aug 2024

A small tour group from mainland China embarked on a three-day trip to a Taiwan-governed archipelago on Friday, becoming the first group tour to visit the islands since Beijing loosened travel restrictions following the Covid-19 pandemic.

A seven-member tour group departed from a pier in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, and arrived in the Matsu Islands. They will spend three days exploring tourist attractions including the Giant Matsu Statue, the Matsu Liquor Factory Industry Co, Qinbi Village and the Beihai Tunnel, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).

The mainland visitors are employed in industries such as trade and tourism, and they are hoping to explore business opportunities across the Taiwan Strait in addition to sightseeing, according to the news agency.

The trip was made possible by Beijing’s announcement in April that residents of Fujian, the coastal province that sits across the strait from Taiwan, would be the first from the mainland to be permitted to visit the Matsu Islands.

Rao Quan, mainland China’s vice-minister of culture and tourism, said in April that group travel for Fujian residents to Taiwan would resume once direct maritime passenger services from Fujian’s Pingtan county were restored.

In late June, a group of 22 people from Fuzhou embarked on a tourism inspection tour to Matsu, according to the mainland’s China News Service.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.