Efforts increase cross-Strait connectivity

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China's recently approved 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has outlined a historic blueprint for integration across the Taiwan Strait, aiming to create a more seamless connection between Fujian province and neighboring islands.

For Chang Yang-yang, a Traditional Chinese Medicine physician at Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, his journey between his workplace and his hometown on the island of Jinmen is no longer an arduous task but a simple daily commute.

The crossing, which used to take over an hour when Chang was a boy, now takes around 20 minutes, and is representative of the development and integration between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan-administered islands of Jinmen and Matsu.

Human face of integration

Jinmen sits about 2 kilometers off the coast of Fujian province in East China, at the closest.

Chang said he regularly takes his young son back to his hometown on Jinmen on weekends to visit his grandparents.

"I also often return to my hometown on Jinmen to provide free medical services," he said.

Direct ferry passenger services between the Chinese mainland and the islands began on Jan 2, 2001.

Chang said the route has been upgraded over the years, from requiring stamps in paper booklets to using facial recognition.

"The convenience has been improving step by step over time and is in a state of constant progress," he said.

The integration between Fujian province and Jinmen and Matsu has evolved from simple transport links into an institutional, economic and physical alignment.

Growing up in Jinmen, Chang said he'd witnessed the long-standing medical challenges faced by his fellow islanders, particularly regarding serious illnesses.

"In my childhood, medical resources on the island were extremely limited," he said.

When residents faced emergencies or critical illnesses, they often had no choice but to endure long and arduous journeys to the main island of Taiwan for treatment.

It was this observation of the difficulty in seeking medical care that drove Chang to cross the Strait to study medicine at Xiamen University and find a way to better serve his community.