Coastal City Sees Closer Tie with TaiwanA total of 4,281 residents from Jinmen (Quemoy) Island have visited the coastal city of Xiamen in the mainland since the Taiwan authorities approved "three mini links" across the Taiwan Straits early this year.This figure accounts for about 10 percent of the population of Jinmen, according to sources from the Xiamen Municipal Office of Taiwan Affairs. Among the Taiwanese visitors, nearly half are on business trips and nearly one third came to pay tribute to their ancestors, said the sources. About 2,000 Jinmen residents now own houses or shops in Xiamen. In the same period, 91 Xiamen residents paid a visit to their hometowns on Jinmen Island, while a 63-member opera troupe from Quanzhou in the mainland stayed on the island for a nine-day performance. The sources repeated the calling on the Taiwan authorities to open full direct links across the Straits. |
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