BEIJING -- Residents from selected cities on the Chinese mainland will soon be able to visit Taiwan as individual tourists. Director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Wang Yi, says the pilot travel program will be launched by the end of this month.
Wang Yi announced the plan at a centerpiece conference of the week-long Straits Forum which opened in the mainland coastal city of Xiamen, Saturday. The first phase of the program will apply to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen in Fujian Province. The two sides have also agreed to allow Fujian residents to travel to the islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. The mainland will halve its visa charges for Taiwan residents.
