China said Wednesday it will suspend from Thursday personal trips by mainland Chinese people to Taiwan, citing the current state of relations with the self-governed island.
The measure is seen as another move by Beijing to financially pressure Taipei amid tensions between the two governments.
"In view of the current cross-strait relations, we have decided to suspend the individual travel of residents of 47 mainland cities to Taiwan from Aug. 1, 2019," the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in its notice.
Mainland travelers who wish to visit the self-ruled island must now join tour groups.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying declined to comment when asked about the travel ban.
Taiwan, through its Mainland Affairs Council, expressed regret over Beijing's decision, while denouncing it for unilaterally breaking an agreement that both sides signed in 2011 to allow Chinese individual travelers to visit Taiwan.
Saying it did not want to see the normal travel activities to be affected for political reasons, the council urged Beijing to resolve differences through talks without setting political preconditions.
Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since they split amid a civil war in 1949.
Relations have deteriorated since Tsai Ing-wen -- who belongs to the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party -- became Taiwan's president in May 2016.
Since then, Beijing has suspended official contacts with Taipei over Tsai's refusal to heed Beijing's calls to accept so-called "1992 consensus," its bottom line for talks.
That refers to a tacit understanding reportedly reached in 1992 by Taiwan's then-ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that there is only "one China," with each side free to interpret what it means.
Tsai will face Han Kuo-yu of the China-friendly KMT, which is now in the opposition, in a presidential election in January.
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