Teachers and students in vocational school in Pingtan, Fujian province on the mainland, and in Taiwan now qualify for a 75-percent discount on cross-Straits boat tickets as of January 2013, Pingtan Times has reported.

The initiator of the move is the Fujian Haixia High-Speed Passenger RORO Shipping Co, which signed an Express Channel Cooperation Agreement for Cross-Straits Vocational Education for its boat, the Haixia, on Jan 17, 2013

The agreement will hold up to 2015, and calls for the Cross-Straits Vocational Education and Communication Center to promote exchanges among vocational school teachers and students by organizing cross-Straits activities, such as summer camps. Chen Jinjian, vice-director of the center, explained,

"We expect the Haixia to become a base of activity for cross-Straits vocational communications and that more teachers and students can enjoy the convenience of the direct channel."

All of Fujian's 32 vocational schools, and 53 in Taiwan, can enjoy the discount, and the shipping company is also looking at other possibilities for the communication center, by including colleges and universities in the preferential policy.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Roger Bradshaw