TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Friday (Jan. 17) praised China's announcement to resume group tours from Fujian (福建) and Shanghai (上海) to Taiwan. He urged the Lai Ching-te (賴清德) administration to replace confrontation with openness and lift the travel warning and group tour ban to restore pre-pandemic direct flight points.
Ma also expressed strong approval of the normalization of cross-strait exchanges, saying it benefits people on both sides and sends a crucial positive message to Taiwan's tourism industry. "I have reiterated multiple times that only when people on both sides of the Strait strengthen their exchanges, can we enhance mutual understanding and effectively reduce misunderstandings and hostility," he said.
Ma further criticized last year's Mainland Affairs Council's (陸委會) decision to raise travel alerts to "orange" and ban group tours to China as unnecessary. He emphasized that over 4,000 travel agencies in Taiwan, many of which operate China tours, rely on a stable market.
He urged the government to respond to China's goodwill by lifting restrictions and restoring direct flights, aligning with President Lai's call for healthy cross-strait exchanges. Similarly, Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan (華源) announced in December 2024 during the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum (雙城論壇) the push for Shanghai residents to visit Taiwan.