Guarding the Gates--Welcoming but Wary of Mainland Tourists

On August 19, news of the collective disappearance of mainland Chinese tourists once again made headlines in Taiwan.

17 mainland Chinese tourists received by Taipei's Kepin Travel Service transferred flights in Thailand to come to Taiwan. After arriving at their hotel in Taoyuan late on the night of the 17th, 13 members of the tour group failed to return after going out on the pretext of taking in the street scene. After confirming that they were indeed missing, their guide immediately reported the disappearance to the Tourism Bureau and National Police Administration.

The backgrounds of the tour group members involved in the two incidents and the routes they took are similar. They left from China's Fujian Province, transiting through Thailand, and after arriving in Taiwan, split up to move independently, with Taiwanese people-smuggling gangs taking them away.

At the same time, the relevant government agencies have initiated security measures, requesting that the Straits Exchange Foundation increase scrutiny of application documents, passports, and employment certificates of mainland Chinese hoping to visit Taiwan, while adding a requirement for a photocopy of a business license or employee ID. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) also recommends that a dedicated counter for examining all entry documents be set up at airports; and it has already prohibited travel agencies from subcontracting other companies to actually handle tour groups, and has increased the degree of legal liability borne by tour leaders. However, the tour group handled on this occasion by Kepin Travel Service was approved prior to July 13, with documents valid for two months, making evident a discrepancy and loophole in administrative procedures.

In fact, mainland Chinese officials to date have yet to allow PRC citizens to tour Taiwan. But if mainland Chinese apply to travel abroad, and then transit through a third country to come to Taiwan, this counts only as a violation of regulations, so that even if caught, the offender is only fined RMB6,000 and is not detained. In addition, gaining legal entry into Taiwan as a tourist and then finding an opportunity to flee the tour group is less costly than illegally migrating by sea. Therefore, both persons seeking to enter Taiwan to work illegally and people-smuggling syndicates on either side of the Taiwan Strait see "enter then run" as a very profitable venture.

Because this second instance of a mainland Chinese tour group going missing occurred just one month after the last one, the adequacy of government policy allowing mainland Chinese to come to Taiwan for travel is being put to the test.

In the year 2000, when the new administration came into power, it instituted the "small three links" liberalization policy, and in 2002 began gradually clearing the way for mainland Chinese to visit Taiwan for tourism. At the time, due to security considerations, mainland Chinese tourists were divided into three categories: the first consists of those on whom no conditions were placed, a category which for the time being remained closed; the second includes persons going abroad for travel, business, or official purposes, transiting through a third country to come to Taiwan for tourism; the third category is mainland Chinese studying abroad, or having work permits or permanent residence in a foreign country.

According to MAC statistics, from 2002 through the end of June this year, a total of more than 23,000 mainland Chinese came to Taiwan as tourists. A total of 33 people fled their tour groups. This number, if compared with corresponding figures for other countries, can be considered low.

According to media reports, when Japan opened its borders to tourists from China a few years ago, more than 50 persons fled in the first month. In South Africa, more than 2,000 mainland Chinese tourists went missing during a six-month span. In countries around the world, there are numerous cases of mainland Chinese arriving as tourists only to disappear.

Speaking about the incidents of mainland tourists disappearing, Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Chi-mai indicated that allowing mainland Chinese to come to Taiwan for travel is established government policy, and will not be revoked. The Executive Yuan has already requested that the relevant authorities strengthen preliminary inspection and random checks for target tour groups-those largely composed of young members, women, or people from Fujian Province-enhancing reporting mechanisms, and using regulations to clearly demarcate the responsibilities of travel agencies and tour guides.

Media opinion suggests that the fundamental solution is for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to sit down and negotiate, requesting that mainland China place Taiwan on the list of areas that its citizens are allowed to travel to legally, and let legitimate travel agencies make the appropriate checks. Additionally, Taiwan should consider other countries' experiences-for instance, Japan and Hong Kong first opened up to travel by mainland Chinese residents of large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and then expanded to include residents of other cities, rather opening up to residents of all provinces at once. Finally, to truly stop instances of passengers arriving by plane or ship and then fleeing upon their arrival in Taiwan, the law enforcement effort should be focused domestically, strictly prosecuting people smugglers in Taiwan to root out the source of the problem.