Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council has announced that it will ease restrictions on mainland residents going to the island via the Mini Three Links, with effect from July 18, 2010.

The new policies will allow mainlanders to visit family members, attend funerals or tour around Taiwan via the three links. In the meantime, the length of stay will be expanded to at least 15 days, instead of seven days and six nights.

The Mini Three Links — also referred to as Three Small Links or Little Three Links — allows for limited postal, transportation, and trade links between the cities of Xiamen, Mawei and Quanzhou in mainland China's Fujian province and the islands of Kinmen and Matsu off the coast of Taiwan.