Premier urges review of PRC perks

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 20, 2006. It reports that China recently announced 15 measures on the liberalization of cross-strait ties. The opposition Kuomingtang (KMT) also listed seven proposals on issues of cross-strait trade and other economic activities after its recent negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party.

From the government's point of view, the "economic forum" between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party was only a "private activity of interaction between individual political parties". The results of the forum do not have any restrictive or binding power on the government.

However, the government also agrees that as long as something is beneficial for Taiwan, there is no need to reject it simply because someone else has proposed it. In other words, all government ministries should actively plan and promote measures that enhance all levels of cross-strait interaction, in order to better protect and advance Taiwan's national interests. These measures should be handled on the basis of law and with assistance from government authorities.

For example, in the case of the liberalization of tourism, the government needs to consider matters such as national security, the overall benefit to Taiwan's economy, the degree of sufficient preparations, other regulatory measures, and Taiwan's numerical "carrying capacity" for Chinese tourists. According to the government, at the initial stage, it would be impossible for Taiwan to accommodate even half million Chinese tourist arrivals. Specifically, the government needs to know how many Chinese tourists can enter Taiwan on a daily basis.

Currently, Taiwan's policy is to allow no more than 1,000 Chinese citizens to enter Taiwan for tourism purposes. While this policy is likely to remain in effect, the government does not exclude adjustments in the future, depending on the results of negotiations between authorized agencies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.