Today's voyages were the first of their kind since 1949, when the two sides of the Taiwan Strait cut direct connections with each other amid civil war. Direct voyages between the Taipei-controlled islands and the mainland coast would have begun yesterday but for poor weather. One attempted cross-strait sailing was aborted midway. Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman John Deng denied allegations that the trip was canceled for political reasons. But Beijing has yet to show any enthusiasm for Taiwan's olive branch.
Safety is the first priority.
Mainland authorities remained reluctant to offer any official comment, but some Xiamen officials reportedly attributed the outcome to poor communications between authorities of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Despite having permission from the ROC government, Ho's voyage failed to obtain official endorsement from the mainland, even though the captain has claimed that he got a private agreement from Xiamen's harbor authorities. Several officials and police officers showed up at the Xiamen port before 10 a.m. to wait for Ho, but they left the scene before 11 a.m. after announcing the cancellation of Ho's trip to reporters, according to the Central News Agency. It is not yet known when Ho will make another attempt.