Taiwan further eases restrictions on Trade and travel to the mainland

Lead: Taipei, June 19 (Reuters) - Taiwan announced a unilateral proposal on Wednesday aimed at easing restrictions on direct trade and travel between its neighboring islands and mainland cities, with the aim of revitalizing the local economy But it is unclear whether mainland China will agree to the plan The Chinese government has always regarded Taiwan as an integral part of its territory and will use force to recover it if necessary At a regular weekly meeting of Taiwan's local government, a bill was passed that allows Taiwanese businessmen who invest in Fujian, a coastal province of the mainland, to travel directly to Fujian by boat through Mazu or Quemoy According to a statement by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Committee, Buddhist students in Taiwan can also travel to the mainland by air or boat via quemory or Mazu Previously, only Quemoy and Mazu residents could directly travel between the two islands and some cities in Fujian, the so-called "small three links" A spokesman for the Land Commission said the new measures do not need to be approved by Parliament and are expected to take effect in July (author:) share to feed Weibo share to: