After Taiwanese denied entry, govt asks public to put off travel plans to Cuba
Dec 25, 2023
Taipei [Taiwan], December 25 : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Taiwan issued a travel advisory to the public on Monday after a Taiwanese man told CNA that he and some of his family were denied admission to Cuba on Sunday "due to the strained relations between Taiwan and China, Focus Taiwan reported.
Danny Yen, a Taiwanese expatriate in Canada, told CNA on Sunday he and four family members, all of whom live in Montreal, travelled to Havana on their Republic of China (ROC) passports for a nine-day excursion in the Caribbean country.
Yen, on the other hand, claimed that just his wife and one of his children were let into the country, while he and two other family members were denied.
According to Yen, when questioned why, Cuban immigration officers told him that Cuba adheres to the one-China concept, which considers the ROC to be a component of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and hence does not recognise its passport, Focus Taiwan reported citing Channel News Asia.
Yen, on the other hand, inquired about recent changes, noting that his Taiwanese friends had been able to visit Cuba in May and July.
The Cuban officials, however, in response told him, "This is our new policy because Taiwan and China now have a strained relationship," Yen said, according to Focus Taiwan.
Yen stated that his entire family eventually waited more than ten hours at Havana Airport for the next flight back to Canada.
On Sunday morning (Eastern Standard Time), they returned to Montreal.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, ROC passport holders can travel to Cuba visa-free for up to 180 days as long as they also carry a Cuba Tourist Card, a travel permit that is widely accessible at travel firms outside Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan has advised Taiwanese passport holders to postpone their trip to Cuba or to check with their airline for any accessible information on Taiwan passport holders' entrance eligibility.
MOFA also issued an orange travel notice for Cuba, the second highest on its four-tiered travel advisory scale for foreign safety and security, indicating that needless travel should be avoided.
Grey indicates that caution should be exercised; yellow that travel should be evaluated; orange that needless travel should be avoided; and red that ROC nationals should not travel to a destination.
