The "small three links" suffered a setback earlier this week when China banned a Taiwanese freighter from shipping gravel directly from a Chinese port to Taiwan via Kinmen, sources said yesterday.
The 777-tonne Kaohsiung-based cargo ship Ho Peng No. 1 (
It was the first Taiwan-registered freighter approved by the government to sail directly across the Taiwan Strait to China via Kinmen since the "small three links" was launched early this year.
The Ho Peng No. 1 sailed from Kinmen's Liaolo Port Tuesday at noon and reached waters off Weitou Port about two hours later. China's public security authorities, however, blocked the ship from entering the port, saying that exporting sundry goods was not permitted from the port.
The Ho Peng crew then moored the vessel off Weitou Port. Over the past two days, the ship owner has negotiated with mainland authorities by phone, but to no avail. The freighter finally gave up and sailed back to Kinmen yesterday morning.
Observers have speculated that China's entry ban on the gravel ship was prompted by Taiwan's premature announcement of the event for alleged publicity purposes.
Kinmen County Government officials said if that were true, the prospects for the Taiwan-initiated "small three links" would be gloomy.
As part of its efforts to forge rapprochement with China, the government opened Taiwan's two frontline island groups of Kinmen and Matsu for direct trade, mail and shipping with China's Xiamen and Mawei ports in Fujian Province, commonly known as the "small three links," at the beginning of this year.
Because of Beijing's reluctance to fully support the program, it has yet to make much headway. China approves direct Kinmen-Xiamen or Matsu-Mawei voyages only on a case-by-case basis.
According to county government tallies, 51 direct voyages from Kinmen to China's Xiamen Port have been made since Jan. 1, with 3,949 passengers making the trip. During the same period, only two voyages from Xiamen to Kinmen were made, with a total of 153 Chinese residents on board.
As for cargo shipments, Chinese freighters have so far made five direct voyages to Kinmen, transporting a total of 7,141 tonnes of gravel.
Under the "small three links," only Kinmen and Matsu residents and freighters are allowed to make direct voyages to China.
RSS