DPP urged to fully restore travel routes

The Chinese mainland urged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities on Thursday to lift restrictions on cross-Strait personnel exchanges and cooperation, citing public well-being and industry needs.

Addressing a news conference, Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the mainland has consistently upheld the idea that "people on both sides of the Strait are one family" and has actively promoted cross-Strait tourism exchanges and cooperation.

"We will implement the joint recommendations proposed at the interparty think tank forum between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang, and strive to translate these outcomes into concrete results as soon as possible," Chen said.

The interparty forum, held on Tuesday, called for deepening cross-Strait exchanges and tourism cooperation. Its recommendations include fully restoring regular direct passenger air and sea services across the Strait and gradually expanding tourism by mainland residents to Taiwan's Jinmen and Matsu islands.

Chen said the proposals reflect public opinion and serve the interests of people on both sides of the Strait. He noted that more than 5.78 million passenger trips were made on direct cross-Strait flights in 2025.

Currently, 14 mainland cities operate more than 300 passenger flights per week on cross-Strait routes. Before 2020, 61 mainland cities offered up to 890 weekly flights, Chen said, calling the gap significant.

He attributed current travel inconveniences to restrictions imposed by the DPP authorities, including limits on direct air routes and a refusal to restore direct sea passenger services, which he said have hindered economic and trade exchanges.

"This situation has seriously affected people-to-people exchanges across the Strait," Chen said, adding that residents on both sides have strongly called for the full resumption of direct flights and routes.

He urged the DPP authorities to heed the voices of the aviation and shipping sectors as well as the public and to correct what he described as misguided practices.

Following the CPC-KMT interparty think tank forum, the mainland announced on Wednesday that it would resume allowing Shanghai residents to travel to Jinmen and Matsu. Chen described the move as a concrete step toward normalizing and expanding cross-Strait tourism exchanges.

Tourism by residents of Fujian province to Matsu and Jinmen resumed in April and August 2024, respectively. Since then, more than 200,000 trips have been made, Chen said, benefiting local tourism industries and enhancing mutual understanding between people from Fujian and Taiwan.

According to Taiwan tourism authorities, in 2025, the number of outbound travelers from Taiwan reached about 18.94 million, while inbound visitors totaled around 8.57 million. Local media reported that the island's tourism revenue deficit is expected to exceed NT$700 billion ($22 billion).

"The responsibility lies entirely with the DPP authorities," Chen said, accusing them of deliberately interfering with and obstructing cross-Strait tourism exchanges and cooperation.

He said the DPP has ignored mainstream public opinion in Taiwan calling for exchanges and cooperation and has failed to address difficulties faced by the tourism sector and the public.

In June 2024, the DPP raised travel warnings for the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to "orange", and the warnings remain in place.

Chen said that in 2025, the number of Taiwan residents visiting the mainland increased by more than 20 percent compared with 2024, and travel to Hong Kong and Macao also rose significantly.

"This fully demonstrates that the majority of Taiwan compatriots do not support the backward and obstructive actions of the DPP authorities," he said.

Citing an increase in first-time visitors from Taiwan to the mainland in 2025, Chen said the mainland is committed to creating a more open, convenient and secure environment for Taiwan residents traveling to and from the mainland.

He again urged the DPP authorities to lift restrictions on cross-Strait travel and exchanges and to take concrete steps to restore tourism cooperation.