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Taiwan hopes to import water from China
Taipei (AFP) Sept 2, 2008 Taiwan has put forward a plan to import water from China for residents on a heavily-defended island group off the mainland, authorities said Tuesday, in a fresh sign of improving relations. The Water Resources Agency wants to set up pipes linking China's southeast Fujian province to the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen group, the agency said. It said construction -- pending final approval from the cabinet because of the sensitive nature of the project -- would take two years. The plan is being seen as another barometer measuring cross-Strait ties as Kinmen has been a constant reminder of lingering hostilities between the two sides since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. The Chinese army fired more than 470,000 shells on Kinmen and several other islets in a 44-day artillery bombardment beginning on August 23, 1958, killing a total of 618 servicemen and civilians and injuring more than 2,600. However, tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased since China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou was elected here in March vowing to boost the economy and improve ties with China. Water Resources Agency deputy director Wu Yue-hsi told AFP the import plan aimed to lower the cost of supplies to Kinmen. Currently, water pumped underground and rainfall at several tiny reservoirs is barely sufficient to meet the demands of about 60,000 civilians and 5,000 servicemen on the island group. Whenever drought hits, authorities have to use a desalination plant on the island and ship water over from Taiwan despite the heavy costs. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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