Taiwan is tightening the rules on group travel to China, adding paperwork and risk warnings for anyone organizing trips — a headache for travel agencies and a warning sign for travelers.

• Taiwan's tourism authority now requires travel agencies to confirm, trip by trip, that travelers going to China for "study tours," exchanges, or self-organized groups have been briefed on the risks and registered with the government.
• Agencies that skip the paperwork face fines of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 and must fix the problem within a set deadline.
• China brings in new exit-entry rules on September 15 that put existing controls in writing, but the wording is vague and could be applied at will.
• Taiwan's China policy body warns that holders of Taiwan compatriot travel permits may be swept into those rules, raising the personal safety risk.
• China is already under an "orange" travel alert, and organized tour groups to China remain banned outright.

Outlook: Expect fewer Taiwanese group trips to China and more friction at the border once the new rules take effect in mid-September.