China-Taiwan historic flights launched

Ruling Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung was among those welcoming incoming Chinese tourists and returning Chinese passengers at the Taipei Songshan Airport.

He hoped the service would be offered on a regular daily basis in the future soon.

One of the passengers aboard the China Eastern Airlines flight from Nanjing was Buddhist Master Hsin Yun, who was returning to Kaohsiung, where he founded the Foguangshan Buddhism Center that has been listed as one of the “musts” on many Chinese tourists’ itineraries.

Hsin Yun said he came to Taiwan from Nanjing area 60 years ago by boat. But he now can take direct flights to both places without detours via other transit stopovers.

Noting that Nanjing — where the Republic of China’s founding father Sun Yat-sen is buried — is a historically important city, Wu extended his personal appreciation to the people, the government and private sectors, and China Eastern Airlines for making the service possible.

“We hope the launch of direct nonstop flights across the Taiwan Strait will enhance the understanding of the people of both sides, through which Chinese tourists will soon discover how nice we as Taiwanese are,” Wu said.

“I am sure this is a very important step for future peaceful development between Taiwan and mainland China,” he noted, adding that he hoped the weekend charter flights will soon be turned into regular services.

The direct cross-strait air services were made possible by an agreement signed by Taiwan and China in Beijing on June 13.

But according to the deal, 36 round-trip nonstop charters will fly between cities in Taiwan and China every Friday to Monday.

The charters must all fly through Hong Kong or Macau airspace before heading for their destinations because of Taiwan’s security concerns.

Wu, however, said he hoped that in the future, the two sides can straighten out the problem by so that flights could follow straighter paths to their destinations.

Ding Xinguo, vice general manager of Shanghai Airlines who piloted his airline’s maiden flight from Shanghai to Songshan, agreed with Wu, saying shorter routes would make the passengers more comfortable and save the airlines money.

‘Historic moment’

Cabinet spokeswoman Vanessa Yea-ping Shih said the smooth launch of direct weekend charter flights “marked a historic moment,” adding that “today is just a beginning.”

She hoped opening Taiwan to more Chinese tourists will enhance Taiwan’s tourism infrastructure and quality of service.

The ultimate goal, she said, is to attract more foreign tourists to Taiwan.

In the future, Taiwan and China will continue to discuss shortening flight routes and easing travel limits through their intermediary bodies — Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), Shih noted.

The two sides will also continue to hold negotiations on easing restrictions on financial regulations and opening economic policies across the Taiwan Strait, Shih added.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan expressed his satisfaction and appreciation to Cabinet officials for their efforts to make the weekend charter flights and more Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan a reality, she said.

In addition, Shih said that four reporters of China’s Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily had arrived in Taiwan via the flights.

Their arrival came days after the Cabinet announced its decision to lift a more than three-year ban on these two Chinese state-run media outlets posting journalists in Taiwan. The ban was imposed by the preceding government.

The Cabinet also has decided to allow an additional five regional Chinese media organizations to post reporters in Taiwan. So far, a news group in Shanghai as well as four television stations in Fujian, Xiamen, Shenzhen and Guangdong have inquired about application details, according to Shih.

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