Border control officers process Taiwan residents' travel permits in a special channel on Wednesday at Pingtan's Aoqian Port. Zhang Yi/China Daily Pingtan, an island situated off the east coast of Fujian offers easy entry for Taiwan residents who take ships to the mainland. The local public security department and border control patrol jointly opened up a special channel on Wednesday for Taiwan residents to get travel permits at Pingtan's Aoqian Port. Since 2011, when a direct sea route between Pingtan and Taiwan was opened, two ships - CSF and Natchan Rera Cruise - regularly make ferry runs from Pingtan to Taipei and Taichung, Taiwan. Taiwan residents who take the ships and enter the mainland through the port need travel permits issued by mainland public security officials, and they can apply for the permits at the port. Before, they had to line up twice - first for the certificate application and then for identification checks. When there are many passengers, the waiting time is longer, said Yuan Tao, a border inspector. As more residents from Taiwan come to the mainland through this port, the service will be needed more. To reduce wait times, the two departments launched a special channel for Taiwan residents, combining the procedures of application, fee payment, permit issuance and inspection at a single window. They only need to wait in line once, which saves about 20 minutes for those applying for permits at the port, he said. On Thursday night, a ship with more than 200 passengers left Taichung for Pingtan, including 30 passengers from Taiwan who were visiting the mainland for the first time. All of them planned to apply for travel permits at the port. Among them was Yeh Chen-li from Yunlin county, who planned to stay for four days. I finished the application form on board and handed it in at the border control window when I arrived at the terminal, Yeh said. It took about 10 minutes to get my permit, much faster than I expected. Yuan Hsiung-wei, a tour guide who took a group to the mainland from Taipei, said, There is a bigger chance for more tours as more exchanges take place. The trip takes only about three hours by ship, so many people will want to have a look of the mainland. Wei Li is a frequent visitor. She said she will open a shop in Pingtan to sell products from Taiwan. The transportation for people and goods is convenient from Taiwan to Pingtan, and there have been more mainland tourists visiting Pingtan in recent years, she said. Since the beginning of April, direct service by ship between the two sides have increased from seven to nine round trips a week to meet increasing demand, according to border officials. More than 35,000 people, including more than 20,000 Taiwan residents, entered the mainland at the port from January to April, up 77 percent year-on-year. silicone medical alert bracelets australiaembossed-printed-wristbandwide rubber braceletsprinted-wristbandcustom-bracelets
More than 80 institutions from home and abroad have expressed a desire to become partners in a green development coalition in the Belt and Road Initiative, a senior official said.China sent invitations for coalition partners early this year. With preparations underway, the coalition is expected to be launched in April, said Guo Jing, head of international cooperation for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.Guo made the remark at the annual general meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, which concluded on Saturday in Beijing.More than half of the institutions are government bodies, international organizations, NGOs or international companies from countries involved in the BRI, Guo said.Addressing the opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May last year, President Xi Jinping proposed the establishment of an international coalition for green development on the Belt and Road.We will provide support to related countries in adapting to climate change, he said.Marco Lambertini, director-general of WWF International, said he welcomes the coalition for greening of the BRI. We will be very keen to be part of the coalition, he said.Lambertini said the coalition could better play its role with a set of targets and product standards. That's very important. Standards ensure that the projects of the BRI comply with the vision of environmental conservation, he said, adding that targets are key because they can demonstrate a positive impact.The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development is a high-level international advisory body comprising officials and experts from home and abroad. It gives policy advice to the Chinese government. The meeting this year is themed Innovation for a green new era.Participants said this year's annual meeting provided a positive platform for countries to share experiences and practices in protecting ecosystems and promoting low-carbon, green development.It serves as a communication platform for China and the world in the area of environmental development, a coordinated platform for building up ecological civilization and an innovative platform for improving a global environmental governance system, Li Ganjie, China's minister of ecology and environment, said at the closing ceremony on Saturday.The policies recommended at the meeting are valuable in global sustainable development and applicable to the United Nation's 2030 Agenda, he said.Arthur Hanson, chief international adviser of the council, said the meeting was a great opportunity for people to exchange information and better understand each other, and for foreigners to come away with a better understanding of China.The idea of ecological civilization can be applicable widely, not only in developing countries but also in OECD countries or elsewhere, he said.What I like about what China is trying to do is putting nature first and trying to rebuild and restore a new kind of relationship between people and the environment, he added.Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment, said some of China's practices that can be valuable to the rest of the world include the development of metro systems, electrical vehicles, economical and effective solar systems and its achievements in fighting deforestation and desertification.The meeting drew more than 500 attendees. In addition to 46 members of the council and 27 specially invited advisers, there were also participants from around 50 international partners of the council, including government bodies, international organizations, research institutes and NGOs.? rubber wristbandsprinted-wristbandcustomize-braceletssilicone wristbandscolor-filled-wristband<%2fcenter>
