Cross-Strait pacts set to open skies and seas

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-11-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINA'S mainland and Taiwan agreed yesterday to allow civilian planes and ships to directly cross the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Yunlin, president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, and Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation, signed the pacts on direct shipping and flights, postal services and food safety during their first Taipei summit.

At present air and shipping transport between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan has to transfer through a third place. As the two main negotiating bodies of the mainland and Taiwan, the ARATS and the SEF agreed to set up a direct air route between Shanghai and Taipei.

They will continue negotiating another route linking the southern part of Taiwan with the mainland, according to the agreement.

A direct flight from Taipei to Shanghai takes only about 80 minutes but, under the present weekend charter flight service, the trip lasts two hours and 42 minutes as the planes have to fly over Hong Kong.

The two sides agreed to launch a cargo charter flight service between two mainland terminals in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and Taoyuan and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

The two sides will also launch regular passenger charter flights, instead of only at weekends and during the four major traditional festivals.

The mainland agreed to open another 16 terminals for passenger charter flights, besides the five already operational, while Taiwan has already opened eight terminals.

The number of flights will increase to 108 every week.

Chen and Chiang also discussed issues concerning increasing the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan, making joint efforts to deal with the international financial crisis, and expanding economic exchanges across the Strait.