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Taiwanese ships return from historic journey to China

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January 6, 2001 

TAIPEI, JAN 6 (AP) - Two ships carrying hundreds of Taiwanese returned from China, completing a historic trip that ended a five-decade ban on direct shipping ties between China and two Taiwanese islands.

One of the ships was to have brought back 100 Chinese passengers officials in Taiwan had hoped would get the communist government's permission to visit the island. But the ship arrived Friday without them.

Despite the disappointment, the leader of the tour, Chen Shui-tsai, praised the hospitality of his Chinese hosts and said the four-day visit was a success. Chen's delegation included about 190 local officials and community leaders who met with their Chinese counterparts.

A second ship that set sail from a Taiwanese island this week for a four-day visit in China had about 500 worshippers of the goddess Matsu on board. It also returned Friday.

The largely symbolic trips marked the end of the ban on direct shipping links between Taiwan's Kinmen and Matsu islands and mainland China. It was also the first official exchange between local officials from Taiwan and China, which split amid civil war in 1949.

"During the four days we spent in China, we deeply felt that the people there wished us well and paid great attention to us," said Matsu County Commissioner Liu Lee-chun.

Matsu and Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, are closer to China's southeastern coast than they are from Taiwan's main island. They were once on the frontline of the bloody battle between Taiwan and China, but in recent years fishermen from both sides have engaged in a booming illegal trade in seafood, produce and consumer goods.

Taiwan has decided to experiment with opening limited shipping and trade links between the islands and China. Officials say if the policy is a success, the government will gradually end a ban on direct aviation, trade and shipping ties between China and Taiwan's main island, separated by the 160-kilometer-wide (100-mile-wide) Taiwan Strait.

At a news conference, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung, Taiwan's third-ranking leader, said he wanted