Mainland plans to 'citizenize' Taiwanese is 'unworthy of refutation'

BEIJING - Claims by some Taiwan politicians that the Chinese mainland's removal of entry permit requirements for Taiwan residents is an attempt to "citizenize" the Taiwanese, are "unworthy of refutation," said a mainland official on Wednesday.

Taiwan residents will not longer need permits to enter the mainland from July 1, according to a regulation issued last week.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference that some "Taiwan independence" politicians distorted facts and presented misleading arguments which "undervalued the Taiwan people's judgment" and did not to merit a rebuttal.

Taiwan residents will need only a travel pass to enter the mainland but will not have to apply for a visa-like entry permit for every visit. The revision also eases the requirements for the travel pass.

Ma said the mainland expects the new measure to benefit cross-Strait exchanges and bring people from both sides closer. "The new policy shows our care for Taiwan people's welfare and sincere attempt to serve and help them," he said.

The Chinese mainland and Taiwan broke off communications in 1949, after the Kuomintang (KMT) lost a civil war with the Communist Party of China and fled to the island.

Cross-Strait travel resumed in the late 1980s and has increased rapidly since 2008 when the two sides opened direct mail, transport and trade links and eased restriction on tourism.

Official statistics show in 2014, Taiwan residents made 5.37 million visits to the mainland, up from 4.36 million in 2008. Mainlanders made 4.04 million visits to Taiwan last year, compared with 280,000 in 2008.