Taipei [Taiwan], April 28 (ANI): Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has said it will not remove the ban on domestic travel agencies promoting package group tours to China until the “personal freedom and travel safety” of Taiwanese travellers can be guaranteed amid criticism that followed a recent deadly bus crash in China, according to a report by Central News Agency (CNA).MAC, Taiwan’s leading government body responsible for cross-strait affairs, stated this after a Taiwanese tour group was involved in a bus accident in China’s Gansu Province last Friday, resulting in the death of one Taiwanese citizen and injuries to 12 others. The incident sparked criticism that Taiwan’s restriction on China-bound tour groups, which has been in place since early 2020, has become largely symbolic, with some Taiwanese travel agencies allegedly using “modified” travel arrangements to bypass the regulations, potentially reducing safeguards for Taiwanese travellers.In the statement released Monday evening, MAC defended its position, describing the Gansu bus crash as “simply a travel accident”. The agency said that although the group of more than 30 Taiwanese travellers had been “self-organised” by relatives and friends, the Taiwanese travel agency responsible for handling the trip had secured the necessary liability insurance and assigned a tour guide to accompany the group, all in accordance with existing regulations, CNA reported.MAC stated that the fact that the travellers were not part of a tour group directly organised by a travel agency did not compromise their rights or lessen their protections. The council further said that because travel to China remains under an “orange” alert, Taiwanese travel agencies will only be permitted to resume arranging China-bound package tours when the personal freedom and travel safety of Taiwanese citizens travelling to China can be fully ensured.Taiwan raised its travel advisory for China, Hong Kong, and Macao to the second-highest “orange” alert level on June 27, 2024, urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to these destinations due to growing safety concerns. According to CNA, MAC said the primary reason the ban on travel agencies organising pre-packaged group tours to China remains in place is Beijing’s continued expansion of its national security laws in recent years.Taiwan has prohibited group tours to China since early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, although Taiwanese citizens travelling individually to China are not subject to the same restriction, CNA reported. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)