Chinese ships and visitors coming to Taiwan's outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu increased in the third quarter of this year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) reported yesterday.
While the number of Taiwan vessels visiting Kinmen's Liaoluo port and Matsu's Fuao port decreased between July 1 and Sept. 30 -- down 34.8 percent from the second quarter -- the number of Chinese vessels visiting those same ports increased 350 percent over the preceding quarter to a total of 18.
According to MOTC officials, the figures indicate that mainland ships and visitors have benefited more than either their Taiwan counterparts or Taiwanese offshore areas since Taiwan's government initiated direct postal, trade and transportation links between Kinmen and Matsu and selected mainland ports -- the "small three links" -- in January this year.
In terms of visitor numbers from the two sides, MOTC officials found that 7,858 people visited Kinmen and Matsu in the third quarter. Of this total, 7,342 were visitors from Taiwan, while 516 were from China, up 20.1 percent and a massive 6,350 percent, respectively, from the second quarter.
Shipments of gravel and related construction materials from China to Taiwan were the only cross-strait cargo exchanges posted in the July-September period, MOTC officials said.
A total of 13,938 tonnes of gravel and related construction materials were shipped from China to Kinmen and Matsu, up 14 percent from the second quarter, according to the officials.
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