A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday criticized Taiwan authorities for rejecting applications by tourism industry professionals from Shanghai and Fujian Province, both in east China, to visit the island for business research purposes.

The mainland has allowed residents of Shanghai and Fujian to travel individually to Taiwan, as part of policy measures aimed at boosting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference in response to media questions about the rejected applications.

Tourism operators from the two east China regions responded to the policy and planned to conduct on-site evaluations of travel routes and coordinate with Taiwan counterparts, which are standard industry practices ahead of tourism ventures and are purely business-oriented and non-governmental in nature, Chen said.

The rejection of their visit applications by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities constituted political manipulation and deliberate obstruction, he said.

The DPP authorities are disregarding the difficulties faced by Taiwan's tourism sector and the livelihood concerns of ordinary people by blocking the recovery of the tourism market, he noted, adding that they are sacrificing the interests of Taiwan people for their own political gain.

He expressed confidence that Taiwan people would see through the DPP authorities' ulterior motives in restricting cross-Strait exchanges.