CHINA –Taiwan has opened a tourism office in Beijing, the first sign in a warming of cross-strait relations since the two sides split amid civil war in 1949.
This is Taiwan’s first official presence in China's capital for over 60 years and its counterpart will follow suit with an office in Taipei later this month.
"The purpose is to introduce Taiwan's scenery and landscapes to mainland people, and promote mutual understanding and interaction between the sides through tourism," says head of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association office in Beijing, Yang Ruizong, adding that he hopes to open additional tourism offices across the mainland.
The new offices will help visiting nationals with any problems they encounter, but this service will not extend to issuing visas.
Two years ago Taiwan began to allow mainland Chinese to visit the country in group tours with the hope of improving Taiwan’s economy. Since then around one million Chinese visitors have arrived. However, the Taiwanese are free to do business on the mainland with around four million Taiwanese nationals visiting annually.
