'Mini three links' mark 25th anniversary with record cross-Strait trips in 2025

The "mini three links" route marked its 25th anniversary on Friday, reaching a historic milestone as cross-Strait travel hit a record high in 2025. The record highlighted growing people-to-people exchanges and the deepening ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The three links refer to direct two-way connections in mail, business, and transportation between Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan-administered islands of Kinmen and Matsu. Direct passenger services officially began on January 2, 2001, opening a new chapter for cross-Strait relations.

According to data released on Wednesday by the Xiamen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, the links recorded more than 1.43 million inbound and outbound trips by Taiwan residents in 2025, the highest annual total since the service was launched 25 years ago. Passenger traffic is expected to exceed 20,000 trips during the three-day 2026 New Year holiday that began on Thursday, the station said.

Over the past quarter century, the links have evolved into a vital bridge connecting people on both sides of the Strait, facilitating family reunions, cultural exchanges, and expanding business opportunities, while reflecting the deep-rooted ties between the two sides.

In his New Year message on the eve of 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned Taiwan twice. He noted that China established Taiwan Recovery Day in 2025, saying the commemorations are inspiring the Chinese people across the Strait to remember history, honor fallen heroes, cherish peace, and create a better future.

Xi also stressed that Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share blood ties and a common heritage. "The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable," he emphasized.

Commenting on the New Year message, Taiwan media outlets and figures from various sectors said it reaffirmed that national reunification is an irreversible historical trend, serving as a clear warning to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. They also noted that the development opportunities outlined in the proposed 15th Five-Year Plan have injected Taiwan compatriots with renewed confidence and momentum.

Chi Hsin, publisher of The Observer, a magazine in Taiwan, described the New Year message as inspiring. She said that people on both sides of the Strait are bound by deep blood ties, and that regardless of collusion between "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external actors, the historical trend toward national reunification cannot be reversed. By establishing Taiwan Recovery Day, she said, the Chinese mainland has helped revive shared historical memory, encouraging Taiwan compatriots to carry forward patriotism and jointly promote national reunification and rejuvenation.

Chi Chia-lin, honorary chairman of the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan, noted that in 2025, non-governmental groups of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland jointly commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration. These activities, he said, reflected a shared resolve to remember history and build a shared future. He expressed confidence that the long-cherished vision of national reunification held by people on both sides of the Strait will ultimately be realized.

Lee Cheng-hung, president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, said Xi's message conveyed warm New Year greetings while also highlighting the Chinese mainland's impressive economic achievements over the past year. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, he noted, Taiwan businesses actively expanded into emerging industries, deeply integrated into and benefited from the Chinese mainland's economic system, and aligned with the development of new quality productive forces.

Looking ahead, Lee said the 15th Five-Year Plan's focus on future industries and related sectors will provide broader opportunities for Taiwan businesses and compatriots. 

"Peaceful development and integrated development of cross-Strait relations are the shared aspiration of the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots," he said, adding that the association will continue to unite Taiwan businesspeople in upholding the greater national interest, resolutely opposing "Taiwan independence," and contributing to a brighter future for cross-Strait relations and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

(Cover: A file photo of a passenger ship departing from Mawei of Fuzhou Province, heading toward Matsu, south China. /VCG)