Premier Su Tseng-chang (
Su had planned to make a celebratory announcement of the policy adjustment from Kinmen, but was forced to cancel his symbolic speech there when bad weather left him stranded at Taipei's Songshan Airport.
The government allows postal, cargo and personal transport via sea links between Kinmen and Xiamen, as well as Matsu and Fuzhou under the "small three links." Regulations restrict the exchanges to residents of Kinmen and Matsu, traveling in a group with a minimum of 10 people.
However, Su announced that starting next Monday, the government will suspend the minimum group requirement -- permitting individuals to travel alone -- and will add a new shipping route between Kinmen and Quanzhou on June 1.
"This idea came from Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (
In addition, people who are registered residents of Kinmen or Matsu for at least six months will also be allowed to use the small three links to travel to and from China accompanied by dependents and relatives who do not live on the islands.
Taiwanese businesspeople with operations in China, veterans who were born in Fujian Province or who have Fujianese ancestry and Fujian residents married to Taiwanese may also use the small three links.
The small three links were implemented on Jan. 1, 2001. In the first year, approximately 25,000 people traveled using the links. That number has climbed steadily, and last year 555,000 travelers had taken advantage of the links to travel to China.
Su also extended an invitation to the Chinese government to participate in search-and-rescue drills in the area.
Su said the two governments should be able to cooperate more effectively during such operations to ensure the safety of passengers who travel between Taiwan and China by sea.
"If they [Chinese rescuers] and we are familiar with the drills, we will be able to help whoever needs help at the first instance, and could save a lot of lives should an accident take place," Su said.
"We believe that the relationship between Taiwan and China should be to help each other instead of fight each other," he said. "I must say, these new decisions were the results of our brainstorming instead of impromptu statements."
Su said that President Chen Shui-bian (
The premier was planning to lead a group of 45 reporters to land on Kinmen and make his announcements there. However, the continuous heavy rain forced the air force to cancel the flight. Su then organized a press conference at the Songshan air base.
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan has signed six arms procurement offers from the US totaling more than NT$208 billion (US$6.59 billion) covering long-range precision strike systems, missile stockpile replenishment and joint production of large-caliber ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan as opposition lawmakers question the amount and procurement items, while the Presidential Office and defense ministry say that the full amount is necessary to safeguard Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday briefed the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the defense budget for
RSS