At the January 7 press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, a reporter asked: The cross-Strait “Mini Three Links” passenger routes have now been in operation for 25 years. How do you evaluate the role the “Mini Three Links” have played in promoting cross-Strait exchanges?
In response, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the “Mini Three Links” routes are one of the most important and most convenient channels for exchanges between people on both sides of the Strait—especially between Fujian and Taiwan—and have played an important role in deepening cross-Strait integrated development and enhancing the well-being of compatriots on both sides.
He said that the “Mini Three Links” started with the Xiamen–Kinmen and Mawei–Matsu routes, and have now expanded to four regular routes, closely linking the Fujian coast with Kinmen and Matsu and opening up a new chapter in direct people-to-people exchanges across the Strait. At present, the “Mini Three Links” have become a “pioneering corridor” for building a “first home for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan enterprises on the mainland,” a “golden artery” for deepening Fujian–Taiwan and broader cross-Strait economic and trade cooperation, and an “emotional bond” for promoting deeper cross-Strait integration.
So far, the “Mini Three Links” have safely transported more than 26 million passenger trips.
Chen added that with the shortest routes and the most convenient means, the “Mini Three Links” have genuinely brought the hearts of compatriots on both sides of the Strait closer together. Their successful practice vividly demonstrates that closer ties and greater intimacy are what the people on both sides desire and represent an irresistible historical trend. By winning public support and pooling collective strength, the path of cross-Strait integrated development and exchange and cooperation will only continue to broaden.