Taiwan-China Cruise Back On Course

M A T S U, Taiwan, Jan. 1, 2001 -- About 500 Taiwanese left the tiny island ofMatsu and set sail for China today, the first legal directvoyage to the mainland in more than five decades.

The trip came a day after another Taiwanese boat failed in itseffort to inaugurate Taiwan’s relaxation of a ban on directshipping between two outlying islands and China.

Many hope easing restrictions on the travel will help bringpeace between the rivals, who split amid civil war in 1949.

The passengers on the boat that left Matsu, just off the coastof China, are worshippers of the goddess Matsu, the patron offishermen popular in Taiwan and southeastern China.

First Aborted Mission

Earlier, another group tried to leave from Kinmen, anotherTaiwanese island off the coast of China. Matsu and Kinmen are theonly parts of Taiwan that are opening the direct trading andshipping links with China.

Gusty winds and high waves forced the other boat from reachingits destination, the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen. Anotherboat plans to leave Kinmen on Tuesday carrying a delegation led byKinmen County Commissioner Chen Shui-tsai.

Those boarding the boat in Matsu said they were thrilled to betesting Taiwan’s new policy.

“I got up at 2 a.m. for this trip. I want to see my relativesand I want to see China,” said Chen Pao-chu, 60, a pharmacist.

Direct Traffic in Future?

China once pounded heavily fortified Kinmen and Matsu with tensof thousands of artillery shells in the 1950s. The artillerybarrages ended years ago, and now people on both sides engage in abustling illegal trade in seafood, produce and consumer goods.Taiwan’s relaxation of the ban on direct links essentiallydecriminalizes the smuggling.

If all goes well, the government has said it will make an evenbigger move: opening direct air and shipping traffic between Chinaand the main island of Taiwan. The two territories are separated bythe 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait.

Now, Taiwanese who do business in China—Taiwan’s No. 2 marketfor trade and investment—can’t travel or ship their goodsdirectly to the mainland.

They must go through Hong Kong, Macau or another third port,creating great inconvenience and expense. Many believe opening suchlinks would create one of the world’s strongest trading zones.

Crucial Negotiations

Before such links can happen, the two sides will have to holdhigh-level negotiations—something they don’t seem ready to dosoon. Taiwan opened the links between its two small islands andChina without talking to Beijing, which has grudgingly accepted themove but hasn’t said how much it will cooperate.

The first ill-fated first voyage did not have officialpermission from China to sail, though it completed the lengthyapplication process with the Taiwanese government. The tour’sorganizer, Chen Chin-liang, said had received assurances fromChinese officials.

When the tourist boat cruised back to Kinmen shortly afterleaving, there were immediate suspicions that China had warned thevessel not to sail.

Conspiracy Theories Sink

Taiwanese media spent the rest of the day reporting unconfirmedrumors and conspiracy theories about authorities on both sidestrying to undermine the trip.

But the ship’s captain, Hong Ya-di, insisted rough water andhigh winds forced the boat to return.

“I’m the captain and I had the power to make the decision,”said Hong, who plans to sail again on Jan. 8 after the requiredpaperwork is completed.

Choppy water shouldn’t be a major concern for the boats takingoff Tuesday, said Chen, the Kinmen County commissioner. He saidthat the 200-ton boat that he will take would be able to sail inthe same conditions. The Matsu pilgrims will use a vessel of aboutthe same size.

Chen is also confident politics won’t stop his trip. He said hehas already received permission from Xiamen authorities.Originally, he planned to sail Monday, but Chinese officials askedhim to delay the trip a day.