Tourism : a catalyst for warmer China-Taiwan relations.

Abstract

China has long opened up its door to Taiwan tourists to visit their relatives, for leisure or for business purpose since 1987 and it has acted as an effective path for building social and economic ties between China and Taiwan. However, due to the political constraints existing then and until the end of the 20th century, the political cooperation between China and Taiwan was still rather limited. Nevertheless, with Ma Ying-jeou coming into power, the relations across the strait is said to be entering a new era of progress. With the help of the favorable political environment together with the economic and social interaction foundations already established throughout the years since 1987, this dissertation will be building on this foundation and analyze how Taiwan's 2008 Tourism policy of allowing mainland tourists to visit Taiwan, affects the cross-strait relations.