Direct ferry links between Taiwan and China partially re-opened Jan. 7 to offer more convenient travel in the lead up to the Lunar New Year holiday period, the Mainland Affairs Council said.
The resumption of limited ferry services offers residents of the outlying counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang and their Chinese spouses an easy travel option beginning Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, respectively, till Feb. 6, the MAC added.
During an event welcoming the first ferry from Xiamen in China’s Fujian Province to Kinmen, MAC Minister Chiu Tai-san said that in President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Year Address, she called for dialogue and cooperation to ensure security and happiness for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The present program is the first step in promoting trust between the two sides for the full resumption of passenger services and orderly post-pandemic cross-strait exchanges, he added.
The MAC said the plan will be adjusted on a rolling basis according to actual operation and pandemic developments. Relevant COVID-19 and African swine fever prevention measures will still be strictly implemented to safeguard public health, it added. (SFC-E)
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