Beijing on Friday pledged to expand cross-Straits charter
flights while offering greater access to agricultural products from
Taiwan.
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The government also agreed to consider launching cargo charters to
Taiwan and allow Taiwanese airlines to use the mainland's
international flight routes to Europe.
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These economic offers came despite officials' warning of a "grave
cross-Straits situation" at a regular press conference held by the
Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
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"We will exert our greatest efforts as long as these things benefit
our Taiwan compatriots," said Li Weiyi, spokesman of the
office.
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Tang Yi, deputy director of the office's Economic Bureau, proposed
talks on non-stop charter flights to cover more holidays or even
regular charter flights between the two sides.
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"We hope airlines from both sides of the Straits can reach a
consensus on launching charter flights for the Qingming Festival
and other
traditional Chinese festivals as soon as possible," he told
reporters.
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"We also hope that charter flights can be operated in all major
holidays and regular passenger flights can be run to link main
mainland areas, where Taiwanese business people live, with major
cities on the island."
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The Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April
5, is a traditional holiday when people of Chinese ancestry cherish
the memory of the dead or worship their forefathers.
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The call by the mainland followed 48 successful non-stop round-trip
charter flights across the Straits between January 29 and February
20 during the Chinese Lunar New Year.
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Twelve mainland and Taiwanese airlines participated in the historic
program - a first in 56 years - and carried 10,771 mainland-based
Taiwan business people and their families.
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For decades, Taipei has maintained a ban on direct transport links
with the mainland.
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Tang stressed that passengers for future charter flights should not
be confined only to Taiwan business people and their families, but
include all people with legal permits.
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Beijing is also ready to discuss the establishment of cross-Straits
cargo charter services with Taiwanese airline associations, he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 26,2005)