The mainland's quiet expansion of links with Taiwan brings the number of open ports to five while the island has three
Shipping lines are taking advantage of the mainland's quiet extension of links with Taiwan to three more ports, including the mainland's two largest, in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
The liberalisation, which was quietly implemented before Taiwan's March presidential election but not announced by the mainland government, allows ships bound from Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen's Yantian port to sail directly to Kaohsiung, on Taiwan's southwestern coast, before proceeding to third destinations in North America, Japan and Europe.
Previously, only ships bound from Fuzhou and Xiamen in Fujian province could sail directly to Kaohsiung.
'The mainland authorities made the move to open the major ports before the Taiwan presidential election in March but no public announcement was made,' a port official in Taiwan said. 'But the shipping lines got the information and started operations.'
Mainland port authorities declined to comment yesterday.
However, direct trade between China and Taiwan remains banned and must move through a third country.