For the first time since Taiwan lifted a ban on direct shipping between its outlying islands and the mainland, a mainland-owned cargo ship has sailed into a Taiwanese harbour.
Some passenger ships have made the voyage over the past year, but until this sailing Beijing had not allowed its cargo ships to sail directly to the Taiwan-controlled islands of Quemoy and Matsu, which lie close to the coast of Fujian province. However, there remains a thriving trade in smuggled goods across the Taiwan Strait.