The government requests that trips to the island be postponed

The Taiwanese press highlighted on December 25 that a Taiwanese citizen living in Canada reported that Cuba had prevented him and two members of his family from entering the country, even though they held valid Taiwanese passports.

According to him a reportCuban immigration officials told the man, identified as Danny Yen, that the reason was the one-China principle, which recognizes Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China.

Yen disputed this explanation and said that other Taiwanese were able to visit Cuba this year without problems. However, officials responded that this is a new policy due to tension between Taiwan and China.

Yen and his family had to wait more than 10 hours at Havana airport to board a flight back to Montreal, where they live. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed this incident and asked citizens of the independent country to postpone their trips to Cuba until further notice.

Banning the entry of Taiwanese into Cuba

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that Taiwanese can enter Cuba without a visa for up to 180 days if they have a Cuba Tourist Card, which can be obtained from travel agencies outside Taiwan. But due to the current situation, they recommended not traveling to the island.

They indicated from this government body that they are in contact with their representative office in Colombia, which deals with Cuban affairs, to find out whether the reported entry ban is an isolated case or a new measure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advises Taiwanese who wish to travel to Cuba to postpone doing so or check with their airlines about entry requirements for Taiwanese passports.

Additionally, the State Department has raised the travel alert level for Cuba to orange, meaning nonessential travel should be avoided. The orange level is the second highest level on the four-level scale they use to evaluate security abroad. Gray level means caution. yellow, review; Orange, avoid; And red, does not travel.