IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Taiwan tourism on fast track

The number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan was estimated to be a record 3.4 million for 2015, the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday. About 9.9 million people made cross-Straits trips, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the office. Taiwan residents made 5.5 million visits to the mainland - up 2.5 percent - while mainland residents made about 4.4 million visits to the island, an increase of 7.7 percent, he said.