SOURCE / ECONOMY
Mainland urges Taiwan authorities to fully resume direct trade, postal and transport services between Kinmen, Matsu and Fujian
Published: Jan 11, 2023 07:58 PM
Ma Xiaoguang

Ma Xiaoguang


The DPP authorities on Taiwan island are urged to comply with public wishes and promote full resumption of the "mini three links" between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan as soon as possible, a mainland official said.

"We urge the DPP authorities to remove all types of unreasonable obstacles set up in the past three years, promote the full resumption of the 'mini three links' as soon as possible, resume the original passenger routes on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and restore normalization of cross-Straits personnel exchanges and public exchanges," Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press conference on Wednesday.

The "mini three inks" refer to direct trade, postal and transport services which were launched on January 1, 2001 between Kinmen and Matsu, two islands attached to Taiwan, and Fujian, a coastal province in the mainland.

The ferry services between the coastal areas of Fujian and Kinmen and Matsu resumed over the weekend after a suspension of nearly three years as the DPP authorities cited COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

"But the resumption far falls short of what the broad Taiwan compatriots have anticipated," Ma said. 

"The bulk of Taiwanese businessmen, students and cadres are excluded, while mainlanders could not go to Taiwan island via the current channels. Thus, it is far from meeting the expectations of the people across the Straits," he added.

The ferry services under the "mini three links" could cut travel time for Taiwan island residents who would otherwise take circuitous flights to Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian, or other places in Fujian.

Between its launch in 2001 and February 2020, the "mini three links" program carried 22.08 million passengers.

Family members of mainland passengers walk to go through security check at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 5, 2015. Sixteen of the 31 confirmed deaths in the Taiwan TransAsia Airways plane crash were Chinese mainland residents. As of 9:45 a.m. Thursday, the fatal crash had left 31 dead, 15 with injuries, and 12 missing. All the missing passengers are tourists from the Chinese mainland. Three other mainland passengers were injured. Family members of these mainland passengers have already been arranged to go to Taiwan. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)XIAMEN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Relatives of passengers on Taiwan's TransAsia Airways Flight ATR-72 left Xiamen on Thursday for Taipei, where the plane crashed into a river ten minutes after takeoff, killing at least 31.The aircraft was carrying 53 passengers and five crew members when it crashed into the Keelung River on Wednesday morning, authorities said. The plane was en route to Kinmen from Taipei.It has been confirmed that 31 passengers were from the Chinese mainland, and they were on trips organized by two travel agencies from Xiamen City in Fujian Province, the Taiwan tourism authority confirmed.As of 9:45 a.m. Thursday, 31 had died, 15 sustained injuries, and 12 are still missing. All the missing passengers are tourists from the Chinese mainland.The Taiwan authorities confirmed that 16 of the 31 mainland passengers had died and three others injured.The aircraft plunged into the river at 10:55 a.m. Wednesday after its wing clipped a taxi with a man and a woman inside on an elevated freeway.

Family members of mainland passengers walk to go through security check at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, Feb. 5, 2015. Photo: Xinhua


In the lead-up to China's upcoming Spring Festival holiday, time for Chinese family reunions, the mainland will actively support airlines from both sides to significantly increase flights on cross-Straits routes to facilitate Taiwan compatriots' home-bound travel, Ma said.

"Relevant airlines will increase their capacity and adjust cross-Straits transportation arrangements, and flights will increase significantly," he added.

At the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, it is estimated that from January 8 to 31, there will be an average of eight two-way passenger flights to and from Taiwan island per day.

Expanding flight destinations is also a necessary move to provide convenience and guarantee Taiwan compatriots can return home for the upcoming holidays, Ma said.

There were originally 61 cross-Straits flight destinations in the mainland. After the breakout of the pandemic, the DPP authorities unilaterally closed most of them. Currently, there are four destinations in the mainland.

Global Times