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After the Zheng-Xi meeting, Mainland China announced 10 measures concerning Taiwan, including promoting individual travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that it is necessary to wait for the mainland side to make a clear policy announcement. It also pointed out that there has been no substantive progress since the mainland previously announced the opening of travel from Shanghai to Kinmen and Matsu, stating that things should proceed step by step.
On the afternoon of the 12th, KMT chairperson Zheng Liwen returned to Taiwan after her visit to Mainland China. That morning, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee announced "10 measures to promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation," including promoting the resumption of pilot programs for individual travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian, as well as working to fully restore normal cross-strait direct air transport.
Regarding individual travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and Spokesperson Liang Wenjie said at a routine press conference on Thursday that people living in mainland China who wish to travel to Taiwan must first apply for a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents (Taiwan Entry Permit for Mainland Residents). Without a clear policy announcement from the mainland designating which regions or cities' residents can apply, "basically, it is not feasible."
He said that whether for Shanghai, Fujian, or other regions, mainland Chinese wishing to come to Taiwan, be it individual tourists or group tours, the first hurdle is always a clear announcement from the mainland side.
Liang Wenjie pointed out that Shanghai announced two months ago that its residents could travel to Kinmen and Matsu, but so far Shanghai has yet to announce that residents can apply for visas, and no substantive progress has been made. He believes this should be taken care of first, step by step, and that other requests or promises can be studied and discussed further, then implemented.
Liang Wenjie added that whether it is individual travelers or group tourists from Mainland China, negotiations between the 'small two meetings' are unavoidable. This includes the quota for mainland tourists, the potential risks individual travelers may encounter in Taiwan, and whether there are appropriate mechanisms for handling these. All this needs to be discussed.