Dai Guofen, president of the Canada Toronto Hakka Association and vice-president of the Canada Toronto Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, met with Hsu Ming-Tzai, mayor of Taiwan's Hsinchu city, on Jan 4, chinareviewnews.com reported.

Dai advocated expanding shipping contact between Nanliao, a fishing port in Hsinchu, and Pingtan, an island county in Fujian province. He said Hsinchu should adopt a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project to build a free economic zone and expand its port area through sea reclamation.

Dai also hoped Hsinchu could co-develop a cross-Straits market with Pingtan's bonded area. He urged Taiwan to speed up economic and trade development across the Straits.

Hsu appreciated Dai's devotion for a common homeland. He said Hsinchu is bound to make a breakthrough with support from all walks of life.

The two sides also discussed Hsinchu's role in cross-Straits communication. They discussed the great success Hsinchu Science Park has made over the past 30 years. Hsinchu will continue to be an example for development in the following 30 years by utilizing its industry advantages, human resources and capital.

According to Hsu, the direct route between Nanliao and Pingtan can save the cost of bamboo production. A promotion team, consisting of members from Nanliao local government, congress and enterprises, is striving to open the route as soon as possible. A proposal was also made to build a new port, 1 kilometer away from the old Nanliao port, to deal with the estuary sands that might create obstacles for the new route.

Dai expressed his admiration for Hsu's insight. He called for cross-Straits citizens to build a well-off society for future generations.

The direct route is important for both Hsinchu and Pingtan. It can maintain technological and industrial advantages and help both governments promote investment and public construction. The route will be the shortest direct route across the Straits, requiring only 1 hour and 40 minutes of travel.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai