Taiwanese no longer need visa to visit Cayman

| 09/11/2012

taiwan.jpg(CNS): Taiwanese passport holders will now be able to enter the Cayman Islands without a visitor’s visa, following Cabinet approval of amendments to the Immigration Regulations. Officials said this was the “first phase of an enhanced bilateral visa-waiver agreement” between Taiwan and Cayman negotiated by the Taiwanese Representative in London, which has visa-waiver agreements with some 114 countries, including the UK and most of its Overseas Territories. The premier recently made an unofficial visit to Taiwan to discuss business opportunities between the two countries and said he hoped the agreement would enhance economic, political and cultural links.

“It is expected to augment tourism and business development possibilities, as Taiwanese business people conducting business regionally will now have ease of access to travel to the Cayman Islands,” McKeeva Bush stated in a release from his office. “The third benefit is for Caymanian and Taiwanese students, who will have an opportunity to participate in reciprocal exchange programmes and further enrich their cultural appreciation, which is more and more a requirement in our globalized environment.”

Currently, Caymanians who hold British passports already enjoy visa-waiver treatment for visiting Taiwan through the agreement between Taiwan and the UK. However, this agreement would afford persons who hold Caymanian passports easier access to this vibrant point of interest in the Far East, once the agreement is reciprocated by Taiwan, as is expected.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Friday morning about the move Bush said it was also in keeping with the government’s “mandate to continually improve investor relations” and was and expected to bring benefits for both parties.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Name one person in the Cayman Islands besides the Premier that wants to visit Taiwan.  We have enough Philipinos now he wants to flood us with Taiwanese.  I hope those appliance toting West Bayers see how much McKeeva really cares about them now.  Those appliances will rot in a few years and they will still be needing jobs but he would have given them all to the Taiwanese.

    • Anonymous says:

      Their island's population in 25mln with literacy rate of 96.1%, 19th largest economy, one of the big 4 tiger economies in Asia and number 1 in global semi-conductor  and micro-electonics.  There are many Cayman-domiciled funds specialising in Tiger economies.  Does it really bother people that strongly that a few handfuls of Taiwanese businesspeople might no longer need visas to enter our embarressing little territory?  So many irrationally racist comments on here.

      • Anonymous says:

        I agree with you. Who cares if few of them wants to come here. What some caymanians dont realised is that people are leaving yes. Even Jamaicans who they cuss out so much. You nticed that the Jamaican population is decreasing and already Cayman Airways facing hardship. There is not enough Jcans here to fly back and forth. You cant count the Americans they got tones of airlines here. So you guys better hope the Taiwanese will visit your isand and spend as much as other expats does.

    • Anonymous says:

      You and people gave you a thumb up  obviously don't know much about Taiwan, perhaps Asia in general. I suggest you look it up on the Internet to broaden your knowledge on Taiwan. You can't be any more wrong to compare Taiwan with Philippines in terms of exporting people resoucres. Additionally, your statement is very condescending to both Taiwanese and Pilipino.

      You are terribly mistaken, if you think Taiwanese will flood to Cayman to take jobs occupied by Pilipinos.

      Some quick notes quoted from other sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan

      The quick industrialization and rapid growth of Taiwan during the latter half of the 20th century has been called the "Taiwan Miracle". Taiwan is one of the "Four Asian Tigers" alongside Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore.

      The IMF estimated Taiwan's 2010 GDP-PPP per capita at over US$34,700, surpassing those of Finland, France and Japan.

      By 2011 per-capita GNP, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), had risen to $37,000, contributing to a Human Development Index equivalent to that of other developed countries. Taiwan's HDI in 2007 is 0.943 (25th, very high),[182] and stands at 0.868 in 2010 (18th, very high), according to the UN's new calculating method ("Inequality-adjusted HDI").

      GDP is $875.9 billion (2011 est.) ranked 20th in the world.

      Primary exports : electronics, flat panels, machinery; metals; textiles, plastics, chemicals; optical, photographic, measuring, and medical instruments

      As of 2003, the literacy rate in Taiwan is 96.1%

      I hope this is educational to you and in the process make you a better human being.

    • noname says:

      For the love of God and man, I can'tunderstand why a premier of any country  would want to flood a little island like Cayman with atheists and communists!
      Christians are highly persecuted, punished and tortured in China, and Mr Bush is professing Christianity. Caymanians should no patronize countries that persecute Christians. Money is not everything.
      He will not stop until this nation loses it freedom to socialists and communists and Hindus and Muslems. I wonder if he realizes that this is life threatening for "Christians? .

  2. Anonymous says:

    Do you know that these people are muslims????

     

  3. Anonymous says:

    Newsworthy?

  4. Anonymous says:

    I wonder if Mr Bush is aware of the ongoing dispute between Taiwan (the Republic of China) and mainland China (Peoples Republic of China).Probably not a good idea to get in the middle of these two.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Premier visits Taiwan looking investors whilst negotiating with Chinese. It's a good thing the UK clipped his wings, otherwise the next announcement probably would have been CHEC fired and new dock contract given to Taiwanese company.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Excellent business opportunities for these islands, increased tourism, investments and employment.  Combined with Enterprise City, Dr. Shetty Hospital, the West Bay Road expansion and building of new hotels this islands will be in a boom boom stage in 2013.  There will be no falling of any financial cliff for us.  I wish the detractors of the Premier and the UDP would shut up and stop trying to kill the progress.  If these people and the UK would have left the Premier alone we would be in a boom right now.  No, everything the Premier and UDP proposes they shot it down and complain.   The Chinese would have started the dock already, we cannot have our cake and eat it too people.

  7. Anonymous says:

    "Visas no longer needed for kids and elderly from Jamaica to visit the Cayman Islands".  I am still waiting to hear whether this applies the same to those visiting Jamaica. I don't think so.  What has the Government done for Caymanians lately except cut our salaries and raise taxes? I might be able to visit Jamaica but definitely can't afford to visit Taiwan.

    • Anonymous says:

      And Taiwanese people cannot afford to visit Cayman.  Lose lose situation, in spades.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, Jamaica imposed on the "principle of reciprocity". Well reciprocity would require that young and elderly Caymanians not be required to have a visa to visit Jamaica. But we all know it had nothing to do with reciprocity unless that is a fancy word for spite.   

  8. OUCH! says:

    WOW!  Finally I will be able to speak Chinese!  

    As I understand it  anyone living in the Cayman Islands will be required to speak at least one of the many Chinese dialects "fluently".

    Now I'll be able to use my extensive collection of Chinese chop sticks! OH BOY!

    Has anyone but me taken notice of the slight growth of a  "FOO MAN CHU"  beard on a certain individual?  AH SO!

  9. Oh lord says:

    I wonder what brain fart the Premier is having now!

  10. noname says:

    So Caymanians can't even enjoy our own country for expats flooding the place, now this!

    Is this what the Premier is doing spending all his time inviting the entire world here?

    Where are the Immigration laws that help protect Caymanians?

    We will be a communist nation at this rate.Our christian freedoms and liberty is deeply threatened under thiis regime's open boarders policy

    CAYMANIANS ARE GETTING 'NOTHING" OUT OF ANY OF THESE DEALS THIS MAN KEEPS fliyng around the world signing  our freedoms away . its crazy!

    He's wiping out middle class Caymanians, and wipingpout our identity.Thanls to the UDP.

    THIS IS SO DANGEROUS!

     

  11. Anonymous says:

    Most Caymanians haven't visited their own sister islands, let alone ever getting to Taiwan. Just another McKeeva justification for his world travels at our expense.