2018/03/25
Reported by: Yang Shuei-Yong at Nan’an, Quanzhou
Following the Fuzhou City delegation’s visit of the Fujian Provincial Government, Magistrate Chen Fu-Hai and Council Speaker Hung Li-Ping of Kinmen County led an administration-council joint delegation yesterday to visit Quanzhou and Nan’an municipal governments for exchange of friendship, promoting and consolidating exchanges and cooperation between Kinmen and the other two municipalities, to create prosperity and share well-being among the three places.
Leading his group to head south by car from Fuzhou City yesterday morning, Magistrate Chen joined Speaker Hung’s council delegation to visit the Quanzhou Municipal Government. Members of the council delegation, including Deputy Speaker Sie Dong-Long, Councilors Hong Yun-Dian, Syu Yu-Jhao, Wang Bi-Jhen, and Ouyang Yi-Syong, were warmly received by Mayor Kang Tao of the Quanzhou Municipal Government. They also held discussions on matters of exchanges between the two cities.
Attending meetings in Fujian Province, Mayor Kang Tao rushed back to Quanzhou Municipal Hall to welcome the delegation led by Magistrate Chen and Speaker Hung. He also paid great attention to the exchange and cooperation issues raised by Kinmen. With regard to water connection in Kinmen’s Buying Water from China project, he passed on the grave concerns of Secretary Yu Wei-Guo of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee, who called for his presence for discussion and instructed him to do all he can in matters related to water connection.
Kinmen has a long history with Quanzhou. However, in the past, it has paid more attention to exchange visits and mutual communication with Xiamen City, increasing touristic, economic, cultural, and various industrial developments between the two cities, and gaining some concrete results and benefits. Magistrate Chen believed that while maintaining deep exchanges and municipal friendship with Xiamen, Kinmen should also make exchanges with Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, so that the four cities can grow together, bringing real benefits to Kinmen.
Magistrate Chen also thanked Quanzhou Municipal Government for assisting and facilitating the project of Buying Water from China, for which the water connection ceremony will be held in June this year, fulfilling the dream that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait drink from the same water source. At the same time, Magistrate Chen hoped that Mayor Kang Tao would apply his previous experience of serving Xiamen City to deepen the exchanges and cooperation between Kinmen and Quanzhou; especially under the current circumstances of the Cross-Strait Relationship, Kinmen should be used as the bridge to expand the scope of Cross-Strait exchanges.
Yesterday, for the first time, a Kinmen religious group of 2,300 believers from all walks of life made a pilgrimage to Fengshan Temple in Nan’an City. Magistrate Chen hoped that religious exchanges between Kinmen and Nan’an would help to consolidate the Cross-Strait Relationship, and increase the flow of commodities and people between the two places, which is also a goal for governmental departments on both sides to work on. He hoped the two cities would work together to expand the mini-three links between them, creating prosperity and sharing well-being.
Magistrate Chen stated that in addition to drinking from the same water, cultural exchanges should also be enhanced between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He invited Mayor Kang Tao to visit Kinmen to promote municipal exchanges and friendship, and emphasized the importance of peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and the sharing of prosperity of the two cities.
In the afternoon, Magistrate Chen and Speaker Hung led the Kinmen religious group marching along the streets of Nan’an City and jointly presided over its dedication ceremony, praying for peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and the protection of the divine Kuang Tze King for all citizens of Kinmen and Nan'an, ensuring the wellness and happiness of their businesses and families, and the prosperity of both cities.
Led by Magistrate Chen and Speaker Hung, the administration-council delegation later paid its exchange visit to the Nan'an Municipal Government. Magistrate Chen pointed out the close distance of about six nautical miles between Shijin and Mashan across the Strait, and proposed to plan the building of a pier for mini-three links at the northern coast of Jinsha Township, connecting to a terminal in Nan’an on the side of Mainland China, which has potential for development.
Half of the tourism in Kinmen is from Taiwan and the other half is from Mainland China. In addition to Xiamen’s tourism, Magistrate Chen also hoped to strengthen touristic exchanges and expansion with Nan’an City, to enhance the development and prosperity of tourism in both places.
Kinmen’s Buying Water from China project obtains water from the Jinjiang River. The river’s upstream Shanmei Reservoir is located under the jurisdiction of Nan’an. Magistrate Chen earnestly invited Nan’an City to assist in environmental protection and maintenance of the reservoir’s water resource in the future, so that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can enjoy clean and good-quality water, and improve the affection of people between the two cities.
In addition, the project is scheduled to hold its water connection and launching ceremony in June this year. Magistrate Chen invited Mayor Lin Rong-Jhong of the Nan’an City People’s Government to Kinmen to participate and witness the historic moment of Cross-Strait exchange and cooperation in improving people’s livelihood. Furthermore, Magistrate Chen hoped that the two cities can deepen their exchanges in tourist economy and general living, accelerating their mutual development and prosperity.
Lin Rong-Jhong, Mayor of the Nan'an City People's Government, also stated that the number of Nan'an citizens traveling to Kinmen for tourism is about 40,000 a year. After the launching of the Quanzhou-Kinmen flight route, it has transported over one million passengers, creating favorable conditions for Cross-Strait exchanges. Moreover, small-scale trading between Kinmen and Nan’an has never been interrupted; it provides space for economic exchanges between the two places, and enhances close exchange among the people. He hoped to build a bridge of cooperation between the two places, creating a better future together and working towards a bountiful outcome of exchanges and cooperation.
For his part, Magistrate Chen said that Kinmen should have more in-depth exchanges and cooperation with Fujian, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, and Quanzhou, and should play a key role on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, to jointly establish a friendlier platform for exchange. He expressed his full gratitude today, for the project of Buying Water from China to alleviate Kinmen’s water shortage, and for the water connection expected in June. He also invited Secretary Wang Chun-Jin of the Nan’an Municipal Committee to attend the ceremony in Kinmen, and to bring along Nan’an citizens to Kinmen for a journey of religious and cultural exchange, facilitating emotional interaction and cooperation between Nan’an and Kinmen.