Southeast China's port city of Xiamen opened an express route Wednesday for newspapers from Taiwan, allowing readers in the city same-day access to newspapers published in Taiwan.
It is the first time Taiwan-published newspapers can directly reach their readers in the Chinese mainland.
The newspapers were first delivered from Taiwan to Jinmen (Quemoy) Island by air, then from Jinmen to Xiamen by ship.
A total of 127 copies of four Taiwan-published newspapers -- The United Daily News, The China Times, The Economic Daily and The China Business Times -- were involved in the first direct link with the mainland.
About 85 percent of subscribers are Taiwanese business people or Taiwan-funded companies in Xiamen, while the rest are colleges, universities, government offices and foreign companies.
In the past, newspapers published in Taiwan could only make their way to the mainland via Hong Kong.
Xiamen Overseas Books Exchange Center, which was founded in 1989, is in charge of the operation.
More than 2,500 Taiwan-funded companies are registered in Xiamen and more than 5,000 Taiwanese business people live in the city.
However, Taiwan still denies the entry of mainland-published newspapers.
(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2003)
