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Loosened rules to allow three ports direct links

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced that freight regulations between Taiwan and China would be loosened in response to changes to China's shipping guidelines following its accession to the WTO.

Chen also said that Taichung and Keelung would also be permitted to set up "offshore" shipping centers.

MAC Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said at a press conference that because of changes to Chinese regulations, vessels registering at Kaohsiung's "offshore" shipping center have been applying to operate services between China and a third location since March.

To assist vessels registering at Kaohsiung, Chen said that apart from offering shipment services, the government would allow registered vessels to sail to Xiamen, Fuzhou and other Chinese ports to collect cargo and ship it elsewhere.

If China responds favorably to Taiwan's loosened regulations, the government will consider allowing imports from and exports to China to clear customs on both sides of the Strait, Chen said.

The announcement reflects government efforts to forge direct links between Taiwan and China, he said.

Merchant ships were formerly permitted to carry export and import cargo to and from China via a third port such as Hong Kong.

But in 1995, Taiwan declared that Kaohsiung would act as an "offshore" shipping center, allowing a direct freight link between Kaohsiung and Xiamen and Fuzhou in Fujian Province.

At that time, it was the only means of shipping freight directly between the two countries.

The offshore status was designed to attract Chinese export and import cargo to Kaohsiung, which acted as a transshipment center.

After entering the WTO, China decided to allow vessels registered in countries other than China and Taiwan to dock at Chinese and Taiwanese ports on the same voyage.

But since then, vessels falling into this category have not been able to sail directly to other ports in China because of Taiwan's restrictions.

According to a council poll published yesterday, 74 percent of people said the government should "conditionally introduce" direct transportation links.
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