A total of 1.8 million standard containers were shipped between Xiamen on the Chinese mainland and Kaohsiung Port in Taiwan during the first five years of cross-Straits direct shipping service.
Figures provided Friday by Fujian Provincial Transportation Bureau showed mainland shipping companies shipped some 1.15 million containers on 4,742 voyages while Taiwan companies transported 655,365 containers on 2,943 voyages.
The Chinese mainland and Taiwan reached a consensus in 1997 on pilot shipping links between the two ports, resuming direct shipping services which came to a standstill following the 1946-49 civil war.
Twelve ships owned by 12 shipping companies in the mainland and Taiwan were originally involved in the pilot direct shipping service.
Ten ships owned by 10 shipping companies are still providing the service, including six from the mainland.
The Taiwan authorities still refused to expand direct shipping links, or lift the ban on direct postal and telecommunications services and trade between the mainland and Taiwan, despite the fact that Taiwanese investment in the mainland totals at least 40 billion U.S. dollars.
(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2002)
