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A total of 96 cross-Straits non-stop charter flights, up from 72 last year, will be run by 12 mainland and Taiwan airlines during the upcoming Spring Festival holidays for the fourth year running, a senior official announced yesterday.

 

Li Weiyi, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the round-trip flights will be operated by six mainland and an equal number of Taiwan carriers from February 5 to March 2.

 

The arrangement was based on an agreement reached in June between non-governmental aviation associations from the mainland and Taiwan, he told a regular press conference.

 

The chartered flights are expected to operate between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on the mainland, and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

 

As in previous years, the flights are restricted to Taiwan residents, Taiwan businessmen on the mainland and their family members.

 

Due to Taipei's decades-old ban on the three direct links, namely trade, transport and postal services across the Straits, travelers usually have to make an extra stop, typically in Hong Kong or Macao.

 

In line with a historical agreement reached between Taiwan and the mainland in June, the charter flights have been extended to cover other traditional Chinese holidays including Qingming Festival, or Tomb-sweeping Day, and Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu).

 

"To better serve people from Taiwan and the mainland, we hope aviation associations across the Straits hold talks as soon as possible to increase the number of places and flights and ease restrictions on people who can take flights," Li said.

 

He also said two Chinese mainland banks have taken steps to give financial support to Taiwan companies in line with an agreement with the Taiwan Affairs Office.

 

China Development Bank and Huaxia Bank have each granted more than 3 billion yuan (US$383 million) in loans to Taiwan companies in the electronic, chemical, metallurgy, and construction materials sectors.

 

(China Daily December 14, 2006)