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New dawn descends over Straits

By Xing Zhigang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-15 07:12

Taiwan's "civil aeronautics administration" said over the weekend that it had granted approval to carriers to operate 101 flights in the first week.

The two sides have agreed to increase the number of direct charter flights to 108 a week and the frequency from four to seven days a week between 21 mainland and eight Taiwan cities.

Five Taiwan and nine mainland airlines will operate flights from today to Dec 21, the administration's website said.

And direct postal services will include express mail, parcels and remittances.

Cross-Straits relations have improved since the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou took office in May and reversed the pro-independence policy of his predecessor Chen Shui-bian.

Direct links will save costs and create new opportunities both for Taiwan and mainland businesses and help them tackle the global economic slowdown, Chiang Pin-kung, head of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, said yesterday.

Taiwan authorities expect shipping companies to save T$1.2 billion ($36 million) and airlines, at least T$3 billion a year.

"This will contribute greatly to our economic development," said Chiang, who signed the transport and postal deals with ARATS president Chen.

For years, Taiwan businesses had been asking for direct links across the 160-km wide Straits, especially because annual trade between the two sides is expected to reach $100 billion.

But Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party had refused to re-establish direct links with the mainland.

In the past, planes from the two sides had to fly through Hong Kong or Macao airspace, and cargo ships usually sailed via Japan's waters.

Wang Liya, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said the distance and time for air travel across the Straits would be significantly shortened. A plane taking off from Beijing to Taipei, for instance, will fly 1,100 km less with its flying time becoming shorter by 80 minutes.

Hu Hanxiang, president of the mainland-based Association for Shipping Exchanges Across the Taiwan Straits, said direct shipping links would help the two sides save at least $100 million a year in transport cost.

Agencies contributed to the story

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