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Taiwan fruit arrives hot on the heels of visits FUZHOU: The visits of Taiwanese opposition leaders Lien Chan and James Soong to the mainland have led to the first sizable shipments of fruit to arrive in the mainland from Taiwan. Thirty-three tons of fruit arrived at Mawei Port in Fuzhou of Fujian Province on Saturday, followed by a further 14-ton consignment on Sunday transported on the direct sea link set up between Fujian and Taiwan provinces in December 2002. The direct trade link became a regular route in July 2003 and was established for shipments under 100 tons and worth less than US$100,000. Influenced by the visits of the Taiwanese leaders, Cheng Jiyuan, director of Mawei Customs, told reporters that the local quarantine department, in an effort to keep the fruit fresh, had implemented simplified inspection procedures to fast track the fruit to supermarket shelves. "We are trying our best to cut down the time the freight stays at the port," Cheng said. "Thanks to the quicker procedure and the direct voyage, it's possible to put the fruit on supermarket shelves within three days after it was picked in Taiwan," said Zhang Xiaoxing, deputy manager of Fujian Tianshun Trade Co Ltd, the mainland agency handling the cargoes. In addition, half of the transportation cost was saved thanks to the direct trade route, according to Zhang. Kuang Qiao, vice-president of the fruit's mainland distributor - Chaoda Modern Agriculture (Holdings) Limited, told China Daily that the company was willing to import more fruit from Taiwan in the future. "On the one hand, the good quality of Taiwan fruit really makes it attractive to mainland consumers; on the other, the deal will be mutually beneficial to both our company and Taiwanese fruit farmers," Kuang said. (China Daily 05/17/2005 page3) |
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