Bullying with the use of tourism has failedBy Rath Wang 王健智China’s attempts to hold its tourists hostage have yet again failed, Japan being a case in point. Taiwan is familiar with this bullying tactic: In hindsight, hysterical outbursts from Beijing helped Taiwan to control the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. China’s ban gave Tsai the mandate to diversify Taiwan’s tourism industry from reliance on Chinese visitors. This is a lesson that Japan has already learned from, as it focuses on tourism from nations other than China. He is a producer and host of political talk shows and podcasts, and has worked on political campaigns and advocacies in Taiwan, Japan and the US.

Source: Taipei Times January 02, 2026 16:23 UTC