Lien Chan visits Taiwan fruit market in Xiamen   (Xinhua)  Updated: 2006-04-20 16:24  Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) 
Honorary Chairman Lien Chan and his entourage visited a Taiwan fruit market in 
Xiamen Thursday morning before they left the port city that faces Taiwan across 
the Strait. 
 
 
 
   Chinese Kuomingtang (KMP) Honorary Chairman 
 Lienchan and his wife Lien Fangyu "advertise" for Taiwan fruits in a 
 Taiwan fruit market in Xiamen, S. China's Fujian Province Thursday 
 morning. [Xinhua] |   
Lien took a close look at the Taiwan-grown fruits on sale and chatted with 
some vendors in Southern Fujian dialect, the prevalent dialect on the Taiwan 
Island. He smiled when the vendors told him Taiwan fruit sell well on the 
mainland market. 
 At the end of his visit, Lien wrote an inscription for the market, which is 
designed to cover 90,000 square meters on Yanye Road in Huli District. 
 The market has drawn more than 100 Taiwanese fruit vendors since it opened on 
April 8. 
 In its latest move to promote trade and economic cooperation across the 
Taiwan Strait, the mainland announced 15 new policies to benefit Taiwan 
compatriots at a cross-Strait economic and tradeforum on April 14-15. 
 The preferential policies, announced by Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan 
Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC)Central Committee, include 
free refrigerating and storage services for Taiwan fruit vendors at the new 
market as well as exemption of one year's rent. 
 Lien Chan arrived in Fujian on Monday evening after attending the 
cross-Strait economic and trade forum in Beijing. He also met with Hu Jintao, 
general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, during his stay in Beijing. 
 On Wednesday, he worshipped his ancestors in Maqi Village in the city of 
Zhangzhou, and received an honorary doctor's degree from Xiamen 
University.  
  |