CTTO
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid travel to China and the semi-autonomous Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao following threats from Beijing to execute supporters of the island’s independence.
Liang Wen-chieh, spokesperson and deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, announced the advisory at a news conference on Thursday. This move comes in response to escalating threats from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it.
The threats from Beijing intensified following the election of Lai Ching-te from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as president. China has consistently refused to engage with Taiwan’s government since the 2016 election of former president Tsai Ing-wen, who also hails from the DPP and declined to endorse Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is a part of China. This endorsement is seen by Beijing as a necessary step toward political unification.
“In response to the new guidelines related to the so-called ‘secession crime,’ the government has the responsibility to remind citizens that there are genuine risks involved in such visits,” Liang stated. While the government is not imposing a travel ban, it cautions that those who do travel should refrain from expressing political opinions or carrying materials that could provoke the Chinese Communist Party, risking detention and prosecution.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese citizens travel to China for business, tourism, or family visits. Despite political tensions, China has hosted visits by local Taiwanese officials and leaders of the opposition Nationalist Party, which supports eventual unification. Direct flights operate between the sides, and mainland Chinese tourists are permitted to visit Taiwan, although Beijing has significantly restricted tourism to the island as a form of economic pressure. This is in addition to its military threats and daily deployment of warships and aircraft around Taiwan.
The advisory highlights the increasing dangers for Taiwanese citizens amid the heightened cross-strait tensions and underscores the ongoing geopolitical struggle between Taiwan’s democratic government and Beijing’s authoritarian regime.