KMT lawmakers' trip to China receives mixed responses in Taiwan

04/29/2024 10:46 PM. Taipei, April 29 The visit to China by opposition Kuomintang lawmakers led by legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi drew mixed views in Taiwan, with some worrying about Beijing's political machinations and others viewing it as a gesture of goodwill from China. Fu, who led 16 other KMT lawmakers to Beijing from April 26 to 28 and met with senior Chinese officials, touted the visit as an "Ice-breaker trip," facilitating the entry of Chinese tourists to Taiwan. The benefits Ker referred to are several measures announced by China during Fu's three-day trip, including the resumption of direct air routes between Taiwan and 30 major Chinese cities and the expansion of access to Taiwanese agricultural and fishery products in the Chinese market. Three years ago, residents from every province in China could visit Taiwan, with residents from 47 cities not required to join group tours, the minister who oversees the tourism industry in Taiwan said. Travel links between Taiwan and China have been largely frozen for the past three years, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. China halted independent travel to Taiwan on Aug. 1, 2019, citing the poor state of cross-strait relations. Hsu Kuan-tze, deputy secretary-general of the think tank Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, said that China has employed a strategy of first partially blocking cross-strait trades to sever economic ties, then reopening them through intermediaries who endorse the "1992 consensus."