Taiwan expands shipping links with China

Taiwan will allow Chinese goods arriving at a southern port to be taken to an airport for shipment off the island, taking a new step toward expanding its limited shipping links with China, reports the Associated Press.

Taiwan and China are gradually reducing trade barriers erected 52 years ago when they separated amid civil war.

Taiwan has been allowing limited direct shipping between the island and China since 1997. But the cargo from China could not leave an offshore shipping center in the southern port in Kaohsiung and could not be unloaded on the island.

The cargo can now be taken to the airport in the capital, Taipei, for transshipment overseas. However, it still cannot pass Taiwanese customs or be unloaded on the island.

Later this month, a special presidential advisory council is expected to suggest that the government drastically relax restrictions on doing business in China, something local and international businesses have been pushing for for some time.