Translated by Claude, edited by Sinocism.com

Source: Xinhua

On June 24, Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, answered reporters' questions.

6月24日，国务院台办发言人陈斌华答记者问。

A reporter asked: It is understood that recently tourism operators from Shanghai and Fujian applied to conduct on-site tourism scouting within the island but were rejected by the relevant Taiwan authorities. What is your comment on this?

有记者问：据了解，近日上海、福建旅游业者申请赴岛内旅游踩线被台湾有关方面驳回。请问对此有何评论？

Chen Binhua said that, in order to implement the ten policy measures for promoting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation and to actively advance the pilot program for individual travel to the island by residents of Shanghai and Fujian, the tourism sectors of the two places quickly organized a scouting group of practitioners to apply to enter the island to inspect routes on site and connect with tourism operators within the island. This is a goodwill measure by the mainland that responds to the shared hopes of people on both sides of the Strait, actively and pragmatically advances cross-Strait people-to-people exchanges, and helps Taiwan's tourism industry.

陈斌华表示，为贯彻落实十项促进两岸交流合作的政策措施，积极推动上海、福建居民赴岛内个人游试点，两地旅游业界迅速组织从业者踩线团申请入岛实地考察线路、对接岛内旅游业者。这是大陆方面顺应两岸民众的共同期盼，积极务实推动两岸民间往来、助力台湾观光产业的善意举措。

Chen Binhua said that scouting is a routine industry practice before tourism opens up, with the aim of arranging accommodation and meals, attractions, and reception procedures; it is purely civilian and purely commercial exchange. But the DPP authorities unilaterally threw out the precondition that "consultation must first go through the tourism 'small two associations,'" directly rejecting the scouting group's application to enter the island — a typical case of political manipulation and the deliberate creation of obstacles.

陈斌华说，踩线是旅游开放前常规行业操作，目的是对接食宿、景点、接待流程，属于纯民间、纯业务交流。但民进党当局却单方面抛出"必须先经观光'小两会'协商"作为前置门槛，直接驳回踩线团入岛申请，是典型的政治操弄、人为设障。

He said that, as is well known, the Agreement on Mainland Residents Traveling to Taiwan Across the Taiwan Strait was negotiated and signed by ARATS and the SEF on the basis of the "1992 Consensus." The DPP authorities refuse to recognize the "1992 Consensus," and their tourism authorities have even clamored that "Taiwan and China conduct bilateral consultations through the 'small two associations,'" which fully reflects their essence and intent of negating the "1992 Consensus," sabotaging cross-Strait exchanges, and pushing "Taiwan independence" separatism.

他表示，众所周知，《海峡两岸关于大陆居民赴台旅游协议》是海协会和海基会在"九二共识"基础上协商并签订。民进党当局拒不承认"九二共识"，其观光主管部门甚至叫嚣"台湾与中国通过'小两会'进行双边协商"，充分反映出其否定"九二共识"、破坏两岸交流、推行"台独"分裂的本质和图谋。

Chen Binhua pointed out that it must be emphasized that the DPP authorities are going against the tide of history, ignoring the survival difficulties of Taiwan's tourism operators and the livelihood demands of ordinary people, artificially cutting off the channel for the tourism market's recovery, refusing on various untenable grounds to allow mainland residents to travel within the island, and sacrificing the vital interests of Taiwan's people to pursue their own political gain — which is increasingly arousing the strong indignation of tourism operators and the public on the island. He said he believes the broad masses of Taiwan compatriots can see clearly the sinister intent of the DPP authorities in blocking and limiting cross-Strait exchanges, and will firmly oppose the DPP authorities' evil acts that go against the will of the people. (Reporters Ma Xinran, Wang Chenghao)

陈斌华指出，必须强调指出的是，民进党当局倒行逆施，无视台湾旅游业者生存困境与普通民众民生诉求，人为掐断旅游市场复苏通道，以各种站不住脚的理由拒绝大陆居民赴岛内旅游，以牺牲台湾民众切身利益来谋取政治私利，正日益引起岛内旅游业者和民众的强烈愤慨。相信广大台湾同胞能够看清民进党当局阻限两岸交流交往的险恶用心，坚决反对民进党当局违背民意的恶行。（记者马欣然、王承昊）