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Still, polls in Taiwan indicate no more than 10 percent of its people want political integration with the mainland, while 60 to 70 percent favor the status quo. The rest support formal independence, a step that China says would lead to war. Wang, the Cabinet official, also said Beijing will ease controls on mainland access for Taiwanese and expand rice imports from Taiwan and outbound mainland tourism to the island, according to Xinhua. The validity of mainland entry permits for Taiwanese will be extended to two years from one, Xinhua said. It said the number of cities where Taiwanese arriving by air can apply for the permit will be expanded to 31 from 28. A program that allows residents of nine cities in China's southeast to visit Taiwan's outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu will be expanded to 11 additional cities, Wang was cited as saying. Mainland tourism authorities have set a target of 1.8 million Taiwan-bound tourists this year, according to Xinhua. Also, the mainland's National Natural Science Foundation of China will launch a fund with an annual budget of 30 million yuan ($4.7 million) to pay for research by scientists across the strait, the report said.
[Associated
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