It was with considerable fanfare that the first cross-strait flights in recent years between Taiwan and the mainland took place in July, 2008.
A China Southern Airlines jet flew from Guangzhou to Taipei, while a simultaneous China Airlines flight completed the air bridge to Shanghai. Since then, regular flights have brought Taiwan and the mainland closer together, not just physically but via a greater common understanding.
Direct shipping and mail services have also led to greater efficiency.
Taiwan's future is bound up with the mainland, and already cross-strait ties are flourishing, thanks to greater co-operation. Investments have increased significantly, predominantly involving Taiwanese corporations moving to - or collaborating in joint ventures on - the mainland.
Cultural, educational, religious and sporting exchanges have also helped close the gap. The National Palace Museum in Taipei, and Beijing's Palace Museum have worked together on exhibitions and academics and scholars are pooling their knowledge and visiting each other's institutions.
School exchanges are taking place regularly, and religious institutions are also stepping up contact. Most significantly, Taiwan and the mainland have rushed to each other's aid in times of crisis. In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in 2008, an expert search and rescue team from Taiwan aided in the quest for survivors, while the Taiwanese Red Cross and charities organised shipments of aid material.
Taiwan's increasingly good relations with the mainland are just another step forward in its burgeoning economic development. Having required overseas aid in the 1950s, by the end of the 20th century, it had become an aid donor in its own right, and being a major foreign investor.
