Taiwan's Evergreen Group said on Tuesday it had signed a letter of intent to build and operate a section of a port on the east coast of China, the island's political arch-rival.
Evergreen, whose flagship Evergreen Marine Corp Ltd is the world's third-largest shipper, said it was waiting for a final decision by the Beilun port authority in Ningbo.
"We only signed to show our interest to build and operate the fourth phase of the port," K.W. Nieh, spokesman for the Evergreen Group, said by phone.
"Beilun port is still evaluating all the applications and will make the final decision on which shipping company will win this project," Nieh said. He gave no other details.
The Economic Daily News quoted Hong Kong media reports as saying Evergreen had beaten Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd for the project.
Evergreen would be the first Taiwan company allowed to build and operate a port in mainland China, said the paper.
Evergreen Marine shares were down 2.39 percent by 0343 GMT, compared to a 0.86 percent rise on the broader market.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Beijing sees the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that must be reunified, by force if necessary.
Despite uneasy political ties, Taiwan businesses have invested an estimated US$100 billion in China since a thaw in the late 1980s.
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