Beijing, July 31 (IANS) China announced on Wednesday that it would stop issuing individual tourist permits to its citizens in 47 mainland cities for visiting Taiwan because of the poor state of relations with the self-ruled island.
The measure, announced in a statement published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, comes into effect from Thursday.
"In view of the current cross-strait situation, such visits will be temporarily restricted until further notice," said the Ministry.
Tourism-related government websites said the restriction would apply only to individuals, the South China Morning Post reported.
The move comes five months ahead of Taiwan's presidential election and amid tense relations between mainland China and the island it regards as a "wayward province awaiting reunification".
Travel agents in Shanghai and Nanjing, which are among the 47 cities to be hit with the restriction, said they were aware of the rule change, the report said.
Anny Ren, a senior manager at Shanghai Jin Jiang Tours, said the ban on solo travel would affect business because most of her customers preferred to travel alone rather than as part of a group.
Ties between Beijing and Taipei have steadily deteriorated since Taiwanese President Tsai-ing Wen assumed office in 2016. She backs total independence for the island, which clashes with the "One-China policy".
In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Taiwan "must and will be reunified" with China, and did not rule out the use of force to meet this objective.
Chinese authorities have offered to extend the "one country, two systems" principle, which is in effect in Hong Kong and Macau, to Taiwan.
Tsai has rejected the offer and sought international support against Chinese "aggression".
The Taiwanese President won the primaries of her Democratic Progressive Party, guaranteeing support for her re-election bid in the January 2020 presidential elections.
But she faces an electoral battle with Han Kyo-yu, the charismatic Mayor of the southern city of Kaohsiung and candidate of the pro-China Kuomintang, the main opposition party.
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