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| Shantou eyes Taiwan link |
| 日期:2004-02-16 16:48 编辑: system 来源： |
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Acting Mayor Huang Zhiguang of Shantou said the city was looking forward to becoming the first in Guangdong to have a direct sea route to Taiwan if approved, the Information Times reported.
Huang said in a news conference Saturday on the sideline of the provincial people's congress that the permission from national authorities was needed, hinting that negotiations were under way. The Guangzhou-based newspaper did not give further details about the talks.
Facing Taiwan's biggest port Kaohsiung, which is on the other side of Taiwan Straights, Shantou would be able to run Guangdong's shortest route to Taiwan. A trip to Kaohsiung would take less than eight hours covering 180 sea miles (332 kilometers) between the closest shipping points.
Currently, containers transport between the two cities has to make a detour via Hong Kong, at least tripling the voyage distance, costing three more days and increasing the expense by US$300 per container. Passengers traveling this way have to pay an extra 3,000 yuan (US$362).
There are trial direct links between the two sides on the straights applying to Xiamen and Fuzhou on the mainland and Kinmen and Matsu in Taiwan. Only Kinmen and Matsu residents and Taiwan businessmen and their families based in Fujian Province are allowed to use the direct links, part of the direct transport and trade services set up in 2001.
There are no direct flights, mail and investment services between the two sides either.
(Source:szdaily) |
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