BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that relevant cross-Strait travel figures demonstrate that the desire for peace, development, exchanges and cooperation remains the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan and the shared aspiration of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press briefing that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' fabricated claim that "the mainland is dangerous" has long been disproved by facts.
According to the National Immigration Administration, cross-Strait travel reached 3.12 million trips in the first half of this year, up 22.1 percent year on year. Taiwan residents made 2.85 million trips to the mainland, an increase of 24.9 percent from the same period last year.
She noted that a growing number of Taiwan compatriots, especially young people, have either visited or are planning to visit the mainland for travel and exchange programs.
"They are exploring the country's vast and magnificent landscapes, experiencing the brilliance of Chinese civilization, and witnessing firsthand the mainland's rapid economic and technological development," Zhu said.
Since 2024, more than 11.7 million trips have been made by Taiwan compatriots to the mainland for exchanges, study, employment, tourism and business visits, according to Zhu.
"The facts have fully demonstrated that more and more Taiwan compatriots have seen through the lies and schemes of the DPP authorities," she said.
Responding to a question about the normalization of regular cross-Strait direct flights, Zhu said the mainland has been actively promoting the full normalization of such flights.
In the first half of this year, nearly 3.14 million passenger trips were made via direct cross-Strait flights, up 15 percent year on year, fully reflecting robust market demand for direct air services and the strong desire of people on both sides of the Strait for travel, she said.
She added that the DPP authorities should face up to the demand for passenger air services and remove unreasonable restrictions on cross-Strait air transportation as soon as possible.
Zhu also said that as of June 30, the passenger ferries between Fujian Province and Kinmen and Matsu islands had handled more than 27 million passenger trips. In the first half of this year alone, the routes carried more than 1.15 million passengers, providing strong support for the development of Taiwan's tourism industry.
She urged the DPP authorities to put the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait first and lift restrictions on mainland residents traveling to Taiwan at an early date. Enditem
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