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July 21, 2015

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Fujian water to be pumped to Taiwan archipelago

A DEAL signed yesterday will see water pumped from China鈥檚 mainland to a Taiwan-controlled archipelago by 2017, in another sign of warming ties across the Taiwan Strait.

The water from southeast China鈥檚 Fujian Province will supply 100,000 residents in Kinmen County.

鈥淭he event is of historical significance when it comes to forging a path toward peaceful relations between the two sides,鈥 Kinmen County magistrate Chen Fuhai said at the signing ceremony.

The Kinmen archipelago, just 2 kilometers from the mainland, was heavily shelled by mainland forces in the late 1950s during a 44-day assault.

鈥淣ow Kinmen plays a pivotal role in promoting peace across the Strait. The killing field has been transformed into a bridge of peace,鈥 Chen said.

Water is set to begin pumping through an underground pipeline in two years and it will be able to deliver up to 34,000 tons of water a day by 2027.

Kinmen is home to just one water company that relies on a desalination plant, underground aquifers and a tiny dam.

The company is able to process up to 19,000 tons of water daily, which is 15,000 tons short of demand.

Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war.

However relations between the two sides have improved since Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou came to power in 2008, pledging to boost trade links and allow more tourists from the mainland to visit the island.

Now, hundreds of thousands of mainland tourists visit Kinmen each year, adding to the pressure on already stressed water services.


 

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