Taipei: Taiwan gave the green light on Sunday for
building a bridge between two small islands that it controls
off China, in what officials called a first step towards
connecting the islets with the mainland.
A bridge linking the Taiwan-held Kinmen group of islands
with China would be a powerful symbol of improved ties between
Taipei and Beijing, as the area is so far best known as the
scene of their bloodiest battle in the past 60 years.
That prospect has now moved closer with the decision by
Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development to
approve the 5.3-kilometre bridge from Kinmen proper to
neighbouring Little Kinmen.
"The bridge that has now been approved can be seen as a
part of the project to connect with the mainland," Kinmen
county magistrate Lee Wuo-tu told reporters.
The bridge will cost USD 178 million and is expected to
be completed by 2016.
It will make a much-discussed bridge to China more
feasible, as Little Kinmen is about five kilometres from the
mainland, while a bridge from Kinmen proper would have to be
almost nine kilometres long.
An official with the county government, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said the decision has boosted the
feasibility of constructing a bridge between Little Kinmen and
Xiamen, one of southeast China's largest cities.
The proximity to the mainland that now makes a bridge a
real possibility for Kinmen placed it in mortal danger just a
few decades ago.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 08, 2010, 17:54