Taiwan, China to exchange tourism representative offices (Roundup)

Oct 21, 2009, 13:04 GMT

   Taipei - Taiwan and China will set another landmark in improving ties in the coming months by exchanging tourism representative offices, the Tourism Ministry said Wednesday.

   Following months of talks in a 'third place,' believed to be Hong Kong, Chinese and Taiwanese tourism representatives reached the consensus on exchanging tourism representative offices, the ministry said in a statement.

   China's Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association filed the application to open an office in Taipei on October 20.

   The Taiwan Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association also applied to open a representative office in Beijing on the same day.

   Janice Lai, director of the Tourism Bureau, said Taiwan and China will take about two months to approve opening the offices.

   'If the approval is not given in December, the offices will open in January,' she told reporters.

    The two offices will each have ten staff, and China's first tourism representative to Taiwan will be Fan Guishan, vice secretary-general of the Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association.

   The opening of the tourism offices will have strong political significance as it is a semi-official channel of communication between Taiwan and China, enemies since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

   It is not clear if the two offices will have consular functions, like issuing entry permits to each other's residents.

    Taiwan opened its doors to Chinese tour groups in July 2008, in line with President Ma Ying-jeou's policy of seeking reconciliation with China while putting aside political disputes.

   Since Ma took office on May 20, 2008, cross-strait ties have improved rapidly.

   The two sides have held three dialogues and signed nine pacts on opening air, sea, tourism and postal links, and on judicial cooperation and food safety.

   Taipei and Beijing are due to hold a fourth dialogue in Taiwan in December, and sign four pacts on expanding trade ties.