Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, speaks at a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Sep 27, 2023. Photo:Xinhua

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday criticized the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities of Taiwan for using tourism for political manipulation and harming cross-Straits exchanges.

The remarks came after the tourism regulator on the island of Taiwan on Wednesday cancelled a plan which would resume group tour from the island to the Chinese mainland after the Spring Festival.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that Taiwan residents have long been looking forward to group tours to the mainland, and the island's tourism industry has been calling on the DPP authorities to lift the ban as soon as possible.

Zhu said that since last August, DPP authorities have repeatedly claimed to have plans for the resumption with conditions. 

Now the change of plan and contradictory action will only leave Taiwan residents and the tourism industry once again dissatisfied given the political manipulation of tourism by the DPP, Zhu said.

In stark contrast to the DPP authorities' restrictive actions, Chinese mainland authorities in May 2023 announced the resumption of group tours from the island of Taiwan, as the mainland continues to take concrete steps to boost cross-Straits commercial and people-to-people exchanges.