Originally Posted by
YariGuy
This is bizarre since the China-issued permit is just for traveling TO Taiwan, DIRECTLY from China.
From China's perspective, the permit is meant to be used for travel in both directions, from and to Taiwan. This is similar to how a Hong Kong/Macau Travel Permit is meant to be used in both directions, but of course there the enforcement is a lot laxer, and even if you do get turned back it's usually just a land border.