Negotiations are reaching the final stage regarding individual tourism in Taiwan for Chinese visitors, and the Mainland Affairs Council has confirmed that the new policy will be announced at least by the end of June. If everything goes smoothly, it may even be implemented on as early as June 6th, namely the Dragon Boat Festival this year.

Famous tourist destinations of Taiwan, such as the Sun Moon Lake, Alisan and Taroko, have been packed with Chinese tourists since the government allowed Mainland Chinese travel groups to come to Taiwan.

The move has brought many business opportunities for Taiwan, creating a lot more anticipation for the lift of bans on solo Chinese tourists.

Honorary chairman of the KMT Wu Po-hsiung said in the seventh Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum that he wishes to see more Chinese cities included in the policy and more cross-strait flight services.

While Chairman of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinlin didn't respond directly to Wu's appeal, he expressed hope to see the lift of such ban before the end of June.

Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Hsin-yuan says Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association are now negotiating intensively to come up with related measures, as she believes the policy can go into effect around the Dragon Boat Festival.

But recently former MAC chairman Joseph Wu mentioned that the Macao Model, derived from the negotiation round for the chartered flight in 2005, may be a base for future negotiation.

Lai says she can't identify with the comment and believes it would be a disservice to Taiwan's effort to protect its sovereignty.

According to the chairwoman, the government has signed 15 agreements with China through an equal mechanism and it won't do anything to reserse the achievement.