Last June, I traveled to the tiny Taiwanese island of Kinmen, which lies a mere mile off the coast of China’s Fujian province. The waters between the island and the mainland constitute the narrowest point in the Taiwan Strait, and, standing on the Taiwan side, I found the view slightly surreal: I peered through giant telescopes to see Fujianese fishing boats bobbing happily in the middle of one of the world’s tensest political flashpoints. It seemed downright peaceful.

Travel across the Taiwan Strait has been restricted since 1949, and although there is a ferry that carries locally registered Taiwanese businessmen from Kinmen to the mainland (and a smattering of Chinese tourists in the opposite direction), direct flights across the strait are allowed only during major Chinese holidays. The rest of the year, flights between China and Taiwan must touch down in a third location (usually Hong Kong or Macau), adding hours to what should rightly be a quick hop.

The situation—which has bedeviled business and leisure travelers from both sides—may now be set to change as a result of Saturday’s presidential election in Taiwan. President-elect Ma Ying-jeou, who campaigned on warmer relations with China, has said he supports negotiating direct cross-strait flights as early as July 2008, and easing the daily quota on Chinese tourists to the island, currently set at 1,000 per day.

Ma told the Washington Post that opening direct cross-strait travel “will significantly change the Taiwanese attitude toward the mainland.” If he pulls it off, and I hope he does, let’s hope attitudes soften all the way around.

Photo of China from Kinmen Island by Julia Ross.