China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines and Shandong Airlines planned to resume direct flights starting this July, respectively operating routes from Chengdu in Sichuan province to Taichung, Ningbo in Zhejiang province to Kaohsiung, and Qingdao in Shandong province to Taichung.

Calling on the DPP authorities to lift "unreasonable" restrictions on air travel, the mainland said cross-Strait flight services should be arranged by airlines according to market demand.

The policy package also includes pilot programs allowing residents of Shanghai and Fujian to travel to Taiwan as individual tourists, a move that has been welcomed by Taiwan's tourism industry. However, its full implementation remains contingent on a response from the DPP authorities.

Since April 29, residents of Shanghai have been able to visit Jinmen and Matsu under the individual travel program, following the mainland's announcement in February that such tours to the counties would resume.

According to the latest statistics from the county tourism department, 6,579 mainland tourists with travel permits entered Jinmen during this year's May Day holiday. So far this year, the total number of mainland visitors to Jinmen has reached nearly 60,000, of whom 99 percent were individual travelers.

Wang Chih-hung, chairman of the Taiwan Chinese Tourism Management Association, said in an interview during the holiday that Taiwan's past milestone of 10 million inbound visitors was largely driven by a steady flow of mainland tourists. "Today, Taiwan's tourism industry is missing this crucial piece of the puzzle, and tensions in cross-Strait relations and geopolitical instability have also raised safety concerns among overseas visitors," Wang said.

In August 2019, the mainland suspended the pilot program for residents of 47 cities to visit Taiwan because of the DPP authorities' continued promotion of "Taiwan independence" activities and efforts to heighten cross-Strait tensions.

About 2 million people in Taiwan are employed in tourism and related industries, accounting for roughly one-sixth of the island's total workforce. Taiwan media estimate that the cross-Strait tourism sector recorded a deficit of approximately NT$152 billion ($5 billion) last year, as mainland visitor arrivals totaled just 557,700, far below the peak of 4.14 million in 2015, while 4.89 million visits were made by Taiwan residents to the mainland.

On April 20, Taiwan's general chamber of commerce held a news conference bringing together representatives from seven major industries, including hotels and travel service providers. They urged the DPP authorities to "open up and lift restrictions where they should", and questioned, "Why not accept the mainland's 'olive branch'?"

In addition to the tourism sector, Taiwan's agricultural and fisheries industries are also closely watching the mainland's policy measures.

According to Taiwan's agricultural authorities, agricultural exports totaled $4.45 billion last year, down 9.6 percent year-on-year. In the first quarter of this year, exports amounted to $1.01 billion, a 2.7 percent decrease from a year earlier. Fish and fish products recorded the largest decline among export categories.

To facilitate agricultural and fishery products from Taiwan in accessing the mainland market, as proposed in the policy package, port authorities in Fujian province, including Dongshan Customs, have enabled the import of Taiwan agricultural and fishery products that meet inspection and quarantine standards. They have achieved this by developing a tailored customs clearance framework for live fish shipments from the island.

In the first quarter, local customs authorities facilitated the import of 1,263.2 metric tons of live grouper from Taiwan, with a total value of 51.98 million yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 88.3 percent and 96.1 percent, respectively.

Regarding the accommodation of Taiwan's deep-sea fishing vessels and the landing of their catches, the Lianjiang national distant-water fisheries base in Fuzhou, Fujian, provides the necessary facilities and conditions. A supporting network and industrial chain have also been established in the province to facilitate berthing, resupply and trade for Taiwan fishing vessels.

Other forms of economic cooperation are also being advanced on the mainland, including the organization of exhibitions and trade fairs for Taiwan products, and the development of small-scale cross-Strait commodity trading markets.

Chang Li-shan, magistrate of Yunlin county in Taiwan, told the media that the opportunity to export agricultural products to the mainland is good news, serving as a shot in the arm for local farmers and fishermen. It will help create broader and more accessible channels for trade, she added.

Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference in May, "The DPP authorities should follow public opinion on the island and respond to industry appeals by lifting artificial restrictions and removing barriers to the normalization of cross-Strait travel, exchanges and cooperation in various fields."

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn