The Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 17th that, in order to uphold national dignity and border security, it has decided to suspend the current conditional visa-free treatment (TAC) and “Guanhong Project” for Cambodian nationals entering Taiwan starting from August 1st. In the future, Cambodian citizens planning to visit Taiwan will be required to apply for the appropriate visa at Taiwan’s overseas missions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated in a press release that since August 2018, Taiwan had allowed Cambodian nationals to utilize the “Southeast Asian nationals visit Taiwan and conduct pre-arrival checks online” (TAC) conditional visa-free policy, as well as the “Guanhong Project” and other visa facilitation measures for entry into Taiwan. The aim was to promote mutual understanding between the Cambodian government and people towards Taiwan by increasing bilateral civilian exchanges.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that due to the Cambodian government’s long-term failure to reciprocate Taiwan’s goodwill in an equal and reciprocal manner, along with repeatedly publicly aligning with the Chinese Communist Party by issuing derogatory statements about Taiwan’s sovereignty, even implicitly supporting mainland China’s forceful reunification agenda, it has tarnished the national dignity and emotional well-being of Taiwan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that considering the recent involvement of Cambodia in various transnational major fraud cases, these negative developments have not only raised significant concerns and strong reactions among Taiwanese society and the public, but have also led to the decision to discontinue the visa facilitation measures for Cambodian nationals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Cambodian nationals intending to visit Taiwan in the future must apply for the appropriate visa at Taiwan’s overseas missions. As for when the relevant visa policies might be reinstated, it will depend on Cambodia’s policy towards Taiwan and will be subject to further consideration and adjustments.