Authorities in Taiwan urged to resume ferries

Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities have been urged to remove their unilateral restrictions and resume normal ferry services between coastal areas of Fujian province on the mainland and the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the request in a statement on Friday after the DPP approved the resumption of the ferry services for a limited number of people ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 22 this time around.

The island announced on Thursday that the ferry journeys, which had been suspended for nearly three years, will resume from Jan 7 to Feb 6 so that people from Kinmen and Matsu working on the mainland can return to their hometowns during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

Current restrictions exclude Taiwan people on the mainland from taking the ferry to Kinmen or Matsu, where they can then fly back to the island of Taiwan. The DPP authorities claimed such an arrangement is necessary to address concerns over COVID-19 spreading during stopovers in Kinmen and Matsu.

The ferry services, which were launched in 2001, were suspended by the DPP in February 2020 as part of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures.

Many Taiwan business owners working on the mainland have complained about the limited ferry services as air tickets are difficult to book and much more expensive.

Wu Chia-ying, honorary president of the Taiwan Businessmen Association in Xiamen, Fujian, said many Taiwan people who live on the island of Taiwan also need to take the ferry services and it's hoped that the DPP authorities will comply with public opinion.

"It is neither reasonable nor fair for the DPP to block entry from the mainland when it is open to the rest of the world, and make it difficult for many Taiwan people who work and study in the mainland to return home," Wu said.

The ferry services benefit Taiwan businesspeople and young people living on the mainland and many haven't returned to the island for three years since the outbreak of COVID-19, Wu said, and suggested that Taiwan businessmen provide negative nucleic acid test verification before getting on board for contagion-control purposes.

Zhu, the spokeswoman, stressed that there is no obstacle on the Chinese mainland to resuming ferry services between the coastal areas of Fujian and the two counties.

With Spring Festival around the corner, there will be an increasing need for Taiwan compatriots to travel across the Taiwan Straits, Zhu said, adding that, "We are ready to take measures to facilitate their travel needs."

Zhu said: "The DPP should remove the obstacles it has unilaterally imposed for the well-being of its compatriots."