The first Taiwanese boats in more than 50 years to make legal, direct trips to the Chinese mainland docked in the south-eastern province of Fujian yesterday, port officials said.
The historic trips by two passenger vessels from the islands of Kinmen and Matsu marked a small but significant step in Beijing's push for full trade, transport and postal exchanges with its long-time rival.
The largely symbolic landings signalled the formal start of "mini three links" across the few miles of sea separating the heavily fortified islands from the mainland.
Taiwan's stock market closed more than 4 per cent higher yesterday on hopes the establishment of limited direct transport and trade links with mainland China will ease political tensions. China-related stocks were big gainers.
Chinese markets were unmoved by the event, which has not been reported by state-controlled media.
The 4,700-tonne Taima arrived in the Fujian capital of Fuzhou with 498 passengers, including 16 reporters, led by Matsu county commissioner, Mr Liu Li-chyun.
An hour later, the 200-tonne Taiwu docked in Xiamen with a 192-member delegation from Kinmen led by county commissioner, Mr Chen Shui-tsai. It was accompanied by a second ship carrying cargo.
"This is like coming back to my home soil," Mr Chen said in Xiamen. "Quemoy [Kinmen] and Xiamen are just 6,000 metres apart but the journey took 52 years."
The ships, not flying Taiwan's national flag, were given little in the way of welcoming ceremonies by China, which says the opening does not go far enough and calls for direct trade and travel between China and Taiwan.
China's Foreign Trade Ministry issued a statement saying Taipei had "abandoned the main road to take the small road" in stopping short of allowing full links across the strait.
"These are not direct links in the true sense and fundamentally do not meet the demand for cross-strait flows of goods and people," the statement said.
Last month, Taipei approved limited direct trade and transport links between Fujian province, Matsu and Kinmen, islands which have been economic backwaters at the front line of Taiwan's defences against China since 1949.
Taiwan has banned direct trade, travel and postal links with China since 1949, after Gen Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist troops lost to the communists.