Beijing opens door to flights from Taiwan
Thursday, November 28, 2002
scmp.com
JOSEPH LO and REUTERS
In a surprising development, Beijing says it is now willing to make a key concession to allow Taiwanese airlines to land on mainland soil for the first time in more than 50 years.
Zhang Mingqing, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, suggested yesterday that China would allow the proposed chartered flights to Shanghai and Beijing to make stopovers in Hong Kong or Macau during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Beijing had previously insisted that the flights be direct between Taiwan and the mainland.
Travellers flying from Taiwan to the mainland are currently obligated to make a stopover in Hong Kong or Macau, most of which involve a change of plane.
Under the chartered flight proposals, the Taiwanese carriers will either briefly stop over in Hong Kong or Macau, or enter the two SARs' air space without actually landing there.
Mr Zhang said: "Taiwan says the chartered flights must pass through Hong Kong or Macau or land in Hong Kong or Macau. This will bring a burden to both the airlines and the passengers, and is of no real meaning.
"Despite this, it is progress compared to the past. Even though we are not satisfied with doing it this way, we will actively co-operate with it.
"If the Taiwan side is truly sincere, and does not create new problems unexpectedly or do something to hurt the interests of the Taiwan people, I think I would be glad to see chartered flights achieved over [Lunar New Year]."
Taipei has repeatedly said that direct cross-strait flights would require government-to-government discussions with Beijing. However, Beijing has insisted that Taipei accept the "one China" principle before such talks could go ahead.
Taiwanese legislators said yesterday that December 15 had been set as the deadline for official approval for the flights, which would carry Taiwanese business people living in Shanghai and Beijing home for the holidays.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on November 12 said the government had given conditional approval for the flights to operate to and from the mainland during the Lunar New Year holiday to help ferry the huge number of homecoming Taiwanese.
An estimated 300,000 Taiwanese businessmen and their families live on the mainland.
Taiwan's six largest airlines met again yesterday to discuss preparations for applying to operate the proposed flights. Taipei is expected to release guidelines on the applications this week or next.
An official of EVA Airways, Taiwan's second largest carrier, said the meeting discussed how the flights should be priced, and insurance certification issues.
But he warned that many issues remained, such as the lack of landing rights in Hong Kong and Macau for some of the Taiwanese carriers wanting to participate.
Another issue is that Taiwanese officials are insisting that the flights be priced at levels that seem far below cost, which could cause conflict with Hong Kong and Macau airlines already servicing the route.
Meanwhile, Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung dismissed fears that a resumption of direct links between Taiwan and the mainland would affect Hong Kong's role as a conduit for cross-strait trade and travel.
He said Hong Kong should instead welcome closer economic ties between the two sides. |
