SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — Growing pressure from Washington to restrict Chinese travel to the Northern Mariana Islands could dent economic recovery in the U.S. territory as it rebuilds after the devastation caused last month by super typhoon Sinlaku, analysts and residents told Radio Free Asia.
Supporters of the Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorization Program, or EVS-TAP, say ending the 14-day visa-free travel allowance for Chinese would seriously hurt the economy of the islands, officially a Commonwealth and abbreviated to CNMI, where, according to a 2025 economic study, tourism accounts for more than two-thirds of GDP.
Although the program was introduced in 2024 with the aim of boosting tourism, a group of lawmakers have expressed concern, saying it encourages birth tourism and suggesting it could allow Beijing to influence US elections in the future.
The federal review began weeks before the typhoon struck, but the resulting destruction amplified the stakes on the islands.
Tropical getaway or secluded stay?
As the CNMI works to restore power, repair damaged infrastructure and revive a tourism industry still far below pre-pandemic levels, its tourism sector still has to compete with other tropical getaway destinations in the Pacific.
Sinlaku cut power to more than 15,600 customers, toppled hundreds of poles and transformers and forced Saipan International Airport into limited operations only during daylight hours. Authorities estimate that overall damage could reach hundreds of millions of dollars, affecting homes, government facilities and tourism-dependent infrastructure.
The territory is about 6,000 miles from the U.S. mainland but only a few hours from major Asian centers, and China remains the only large-scale tourism market capable of restoring pre-pandemic visitor volumes, according to statistics from the Mariana Visitors Authority.
The CNMI welcomed 487,008 visitors in 2019, including 185,526 from China. By 2023, total arrivals had fallen to 215,543, and Chinese arrivals dropped precipitously to 10,764 in fiscal 2025, brought on by a sudden cessation of EVS-TAP treatment early in the current administration. Even though the program has restarted, the market is only a fraction of its former size.
The visa waiver program remains “critically important” to the tourism economy, Jamika Taijeron, executive director of the Mariana Visitors Authority, told RFA.
“China was one of our top source markets before the pandemic, generating significant revenue from airlines, hotels, restaurants, retailers and small businesses,” she said. She noted that a sudden suspension of the program last year led to a months-long loss of direct air service from Hong Kong.
“Our tourism stakeholders need consistency and predictability in federal travel policies so they can plan their long-term operations, maintain workforce stability, and remain committed to their investments in the Marianas,” she said.
Yet many in Washington are more concerned about security and have called the program “Communist China’s backdoor” to the United States.
On March 9, more than a month before the Sinlaku arrival, 34 members of the House of Representatives urged the Secretaries of Homeland Security, State, and Interior to close EVS-TAP and other federal entry programs that allow Chinese nationals to visit the CNMI without a visa. Their letter echoed concerns raised in January by three U.S. senators and reflected a bipartisan push last year citing cases of birth tourism and human trafficking prosecutions.
Lawmakers cited estimates that more than 3,300 babies have been born in the CNMI to Chinese nationals since 2009, with annual births increasing from fewer than 10 to nearly 600 at most. They warned that many of these U.S.-born children were raised in China and could reach voting age by 2030, a scenario they said could allow a “hostile nation” to influence U.S. elections.
In public statements, Kimberlyn King-Hinds, CNMI delegate to Congress, rejected these claims, saying Washington often misunderstands the islands’ situation. Critics have accused her of supporting policies that benefit Chinese interests, but she has said her position is rooted in economic necessity.
“It’s not about China. It’s about retirement. It’s about paying employees,” she said. “It’s about the economy. It’s about tourism. It’s about customers. We need customers for this economy to continue to grow. That’s just the reality.”
Chanho Roh, a legal analyst and former CNMI resident, told RFA that the debate in Washington reflected broader tensions in the U.S. immigration fight, with unusually high stakes for the islands.
“Even when Congress closes a legal gap, new methods or avenues often emerge,” he said, emphasizing that birth tourism and visa waiver policy are politically related but “not identical policy issues.”
Roh said visa waiver agreements generally rely on reciprocity and CNMI residents do not enjoy comparable visa-free access to China, including Hainan Island. But he warned that eliminating the program without an “alternative economic strategy” risked deepening the Commonwealth’s decline.
“The consequences are already visible: abandoned projects, unresolved legal disputes involving Chinese investors and deteriorating properties that are affecting the appearance and economy of the islands,” he said.
Recovery blocked
In a letter responding to the demands of the 34 lawmakers, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce said ending visa waiver programs would worsen economic pressure on the CNMI and jeopardize its fragile recovery. Legal tourism supported by the programs, the group said, remains essential to maintaining small businesses and protecting the jobs of U.S. citizens and residents.
The Chamber acknowledged that birth tourism was once a challenge, but said it was no longer a predominant problem. Targeted policy changes, improved monitoring and close coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have “effectively mitigated” the problem.
The CNMI’s heavy reliance on tourism leaves it exposed to sudden shocks, such as the recent super typhoon, Betty Bai of Saipan Chinese News and a tourism events operator told RFA.
She noted that competitors such as Thailand, Maldives, Palau and Fiji offer Chinese travelers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access. “CNMI has lost its edge,” she said.
Rather than debating the extremes, she said, the focus should be on managing the visa policy properly and making it “successful.”
But even if EVS-TAP stands alone, diversification is needed in the tourism industry, Steve Jang, an entrepreneur and operator of Plumeria Steakhouse in the bustling tourist hub of Garapan, told RFA.
“Eliminating the waiver would almost certainly reduce arrival numbers, leading to lower occupancy rates, reduced business revenues and potential job losses,” he said. “Relying too much on a single market is a risk. Diversification would make our local economy more resilient.”
Edited by Eugene Whong.