The "Mini Three Links" routes, referring to direct two-way postal, trade and transport links between the mainland and the Taiwan region, have seen strong growth throughout the summer holiday, highlighting deepening people-to-people exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, said a spokeswoman of China's central government on Wednesday.
At a press conference in Beijing, Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the "Mini Three Links" route is one of the most important and convenient channels for cross-strait exchanges, especially between Fujian and Taiwan.
"In this summer, passenger traffic on the cross-strait 'Mini Three Links' routes has continued to heat up, with visitor flows maintaining high operational levels. Among them, the 'Mini Three Links' route between Xiamen and Kinmen has operated a total of 1,550 voyages and handled 386,400 trips, representing year-on-year increases of 11.4 percent and 24.1 percent, respectively. The number of daily passenger crossings via the 'Mini Three Links' route between Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province and Taiwan's Kinmen exceeded 7,900 on Aug. 23, setting a new single-day record since the service was resumed in 2023," Zhang said.
Zhang Han said mainland authorities rolled out a package of measures to manage the summer travel surge, ensuring the "Mini Three Links" routes operated safely and efficiently. "To cope with the summer peak travel season, relevant authorities on the mainland have coordinated closely to enhance support capacities and better meet the travel needs of passengers. Since August 1, temporary additional sailings have been introduced on the 'Mini Three Links' route between Xiamen and Kinmen during the summer vacation, with operating hours appropriately extended. At the same time, clearance procedures have been optimized, maritime safety supervision has been strengthened, and passenger services have been improved, with intelligent systems being leveraged to enable efficient and smooth customs clearance. The 'Mini Three Links' routes have maintained overall safe and stable operations with good order," Zhang said. "The robust operation of the 'Mini Three Links' routes during the summer is a vivid reflection of the growing closeness and exchanges between people on both sides of the Straits. We welcome more people in Taiwan to visit the mainland via the 'Mini Three Links' routes for reconnecting with their ancestral roots, family visits, exchanges and cooperation," she said.
"Mini Three Links" routes see robust summer operations, deepening cross-Strait ties: spokesperson
