The Customs of Cuba denies entry to Taiwanese tourists for political reasons.

The General Customs of Cuba denied entry into the country to a family from Taiwan with permanent residence in Canada. The Asians planned to enjoy a vacation, but for political reasons, they were rejected and deported.

According to CNN, the five members of the Yen family had valid visas and proper passports when they arrived on the Island, coming from Montreal. Upon starting the entry process, they received intolerant treatment from the communist authorities.

Danny Yen, one of those affected, declared that officials denied entry to three of the travelers, who were victims of a ten-hour detention and were subsequently deported to Canada.

For the interviewee, this restriction seemed strange because his friends had visited the Caribbean nation earlier in the year with passports issued by Taiwan and had no problems entering.

According to Yen’s statements, a Customs official argued that the ban was motivated by the fact that Havana does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country from the People’s Republic of China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan specified to the American channel that having a valid passport for at least six months and a tourist card should have been sufficient to allow the entry of Taiwanese citizens to Cuba. Faced with this problem, the agency assured the start of an investigation into this case by its consulate in Colombia since it does not have one in the Greater Antilles.

The Ministry also issued an orange travel alert to Cuba, the second-highest of its four security levels, indicating the recommendation not to travel unless necessary. This could cost the Antillean country the loss of a tourist market of more than 23 million people.

Last year, Cuba reaffirmed its unconditional support for the principle of “one China,” when the then Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States, Nancy Pelosi, was visiting Taiwan.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez expressed his concern about the worsening of the situation and voiced his firm opposition to actions that could compromise the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China.

The Cuban government pointed out that the existing tension was “a direct result of the aggressive policy of the USA and the high military presence of this country and its allies in the Taiwan Strait.”

Rodríguez also argued that the deterioration of the situation was due to military contacts and systematic arms sales, actions that, according to Cuba, undermined peace and security both regionally and internationally.