A new cross-Straits shipping route linking Pingtan, Southeast China's Fujian, and Taipei, on Taiwan, is planned for a May opening, with the Fujian Haixia High-Speed RORO Shipping Co, mother company of the boat to operate on the new route, just waiting for the go-ahead from transportation authorities on the mainland and in Taiwan, according to a person in charge of the project who spoke with the Chinanews.com, on April 10.

When it gets the go-ahead, the company's Lina will set sail for Taipei. The boat is the second high-speed passenger liner the company has built to meet the growing communication needs between the mainland and Taiwan,.

Its first passenger liner sailing between Pingtan and Taichung, on Taiwan, is the Haixia, which was launched on Nov 30, 2011 and has carried more than 120,000 people.

The Lina had a trial run on Nov 30, 2012 that was a success and it got a sailing permission from Taiwan in March of this year.

Wang Yanping, the chairman of the Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, one of the partner that established the Fujian Haixia High-Speed RORO Shipping Co, explained, "The low-cost cross-Straits route will be a more efficient way for people on both sides to make the commute," adding, "The new route will cut the time and transportation costs, shorten the trip, and contribute to developing a common market and a common homeland for both sides of the Taiwan Straits."

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Roger Bradshaw