The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China announced today (27th) that the travel advisory for visiting Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau has been raised to “orange,” advising Taiwanese people to avoid non-essential travel.
The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China issued a press release today stating that in recent years, Mainland China and Hong Kong and Macau have continuously increased enforcement of relevant national security laws, resulting in numerous cases of Taiwanese individuals being illegally detained, interrogated, or investigated when traveling to Mainland China. Recently, the Chinese Communist Party issued the “Opinions on Punishing ‘Taiwanese Independence’ Stubborn Elements for Splitting the Country and Inciting to Commit Crimes of Splitting the Country” which poses a serious threat to the personal safety of Taiwanese people traveling to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Following a comprehensive assessment, the government deemed it necessary to raise the travel advisory level to “orange” effective from June 27, urging Taiwanese people to avoid non-essential travel to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The Mainland Affairs Council pointed out that since 2015, the Chinese Communist Party has successively enacted or amended laws including the “National Security Law,” “Law on the Management of Activities of Overseas Non-Governmental Organizations within Chinese Territory,” “Cybersecurity Law,” “Regulations on the Work of Security Prevention in Counterespionage,” “Measures for Reporting Rewards for Harmful Acts Endangering National Security,” “Counter-Espionage Law,” “Patriotic Education Law,” “Law on the Protection of State Secrets,” “Provisions on the Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures of National Security Agencies,” and “Provisions on the Criminal Case Handling Procedures of National Security Agencies.”
Hong Kong has implemented the “National Security Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” and the “Regulations on Safeguarding National Security”; Macau has also revised the “National Security Preservation Law.” The Mainland Affairs Council stated, “We have repeatedly urged the Chinese Communist Party to avoid obstructing positive interactions between both sides of the strait and creating obstacles for people-to-people exchanges, yet regretfully, the Communist Party has persisted in its actions and intensified them. With the issuance of the ‘Opinions’ on June 21, the risks to personal safety for our countrymen traveling to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau have been further heightened.”
The Mainland Affairs Council once again reminds Taiwanese people to carefully consider the necessity of traveling to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, strongly recommending that non-essential trips be avoided. If there is a genuine need to travel to these areas, it is advised to refrain from discussing sensitive topics, taking photos of ports, airports, military exercise venues, or carrying political, historical, religious books, and related literature. For more information, refer to the Mainland Affairs Council’s website for guidelines on behaviors that may pose suspicion of violating Chinese national security, behaviors in suspected national security cases in Hong Kong, tips for Taiwanese nationals traveling to or transiting Mainland China, as well as reminders and suggestions for Taiwanese nationals traveling to or transiting Hong Kong or Macau.
The Mainland Affairs Council emphasized that Taiwanese individuals should assess the personal safety risks when traveling to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau and register in advance on the “People’s Traveling Dynamic Registration to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau” system. In case of encountering any issues in Mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, individuals can call the emergency service hotline of the Straits Exchange Foundation at +886-2-25339995, the Mainland Affairs Council’s Hong Kong office (located in Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) emergency assistance telephone at 852-61439012, or the Mainland Affairs Council’s Macau office (located in Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) emergency assistance telephone at 853-66872557. This is to ensure that the government can promptly provide necessary assistance to safeguard their own rights and interests.