New hotlines to help people evaluate possible safety risks before they travel to China, Hong Kong or Macau have been launched, the Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement on Monday.
The hotlines were launched amid a rise in inquiries from Taiwanese planning to travel to China, the council said.
The number of people who used its “Online Registration System for Taiwanese Citizens Visiting Mainland China” this year through Oct. 31 had increased 14-fold from the same period last year, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Registrations for people traveling to Hong Kong and Macau had increased five-fold from the same period last year, it added.
Taiwanese traveling to China do not have to inform the government, but for safety reasons, there is a system that allows it, the council said.
To assist people to use the new online registration system, or to evaluate potential safety risks of their travel plans, the council and the Straits Exchange Foundation jointly launched the hotline services, which are available on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, it said.
People planning to travel to China can use the Mainland Affairs Council’s hotline at (02) 2397-5589 (ex 5011) or the Straits Exchange Foundation’s hotline at (02) 2175-7000 (ex 7033), while people traveling to Hong Kong or Macau can contact the council at (02) 2397-5589 (ex 6015), the statement said.
The services were launched after Beijing amended and enacted national security laws in the past few years, and on June 21 issued a new set of guidelines targeting advocates of Taiwanese independence.
There have also been multiple cases of Taiwanese being “illegally detained, held and interrogated” in China, the council said.
The council on June 27 raised its travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to the second-highest “orange” level, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel there due to increasing safety concerns, it added.