A delegation led by the Taiwan Travel Agent Association visited Pingtan on March 10. Pingtan is the closest place on the mainland to the island of Taiwan as well as the first and only zone on the mainland comprehensively piloting cross-Straits integration.

The move marks another ice-breaking trip between Pingtan and Taiwan after three years of the pandemic, as well as the first exchange after the announcement of the resumption of air-sea transport service across the Taiwan Straits on March 9.

A delegation led by the Taiwan Travel Agent Association visits Tannan Bay

The members of the delegation include the Taiwan Travel Agent Association, the Cross-Straits Tourism Development Association, the Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Tainan Travel Agent Association, and their focus was on Pingtan's tourism development and cross-Straits cargo transportation. They got first-hand knowledge of Pingtan's development by visiting iconic places such as the Pingtan International Karting Track, the 68-Nautical-Mile Scenic Area, and Tannan Bay Scenic Area.

"This is the first time I have come to Pingtan after the pandemic in three years. Pingtan has made tremendous progress during this period. In the post-pandemic era, cross-Straits relations will be more harmonious than before 2019," said Tsai Zong-You, chairman of the Kaohsiung Travel Agent Association. He added that Pingtan serves as a springboard, connecting Taiwan and the mainland and facilitating personnel and goods exchanges.

Cross-Straits exchanges have stalled due to the pandemic, but Pingtan's tourism development has never slowed down. During this time, progress was being made islandwide. The upgrade of tourist attractions and the introduction of a series of sports and music events build up confidence and strength for the upcoming cross-Straits exchanges.

"We are impressed with some new projects, including autosport and baseball. I will bring back what I learned to Taiwan and raise more awareness of Pingtan," said Xiao Boren, chairman of the Taiwan Travel Agent Association.

Peaceful development and exchange and cooperation are the common aspirations of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. The normalization of direct cross-Straits air-sea transportation and "small three links (These links include direct postal, commercial, and transportation connections across the Taiwan Straits.)" are good things that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are pleased to see happening.

Yao Daguang, chairman of the Cross-Straits Tourism Development Association, said that Pingtan aims to become a common homeland for people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. With years of development, it has made remarkable achievements and gained increasingly strong attraction for compatriots from Taiwan.

Pingtan Strait Rail-Road Bridge, world's longest sea-crossing rail-road bridge

“Haixia,” a high-speed ro/ro ship shuttling between Pingtan and Taiwan, builds the fastest, most efficient, and lowest-cost marine channel across the Straits. I anticipate “Haixia” will resume service as soon as possible. This will be one of the most direct ways to promote cross-Straits exchanges," Yao Daguang said. He also hoped that Pingtan could become a gathering place for cross-Straits exchanges in the future, where Taiwan compatriots could take the high-speed rail from Taiwan to Beijing, and mainlanders could take the high-speed rail from Beijing to Taiwan, thus promoting closer exchanges between the two sides.

On March 9, Pingtan held a joint drill for the resumption of “Haixia.” Pingtan, as a pioneer zone for cross-Straits exchanges, is fully prepared.

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