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Direct flights resume between China and Taiwan

Article published on the 2008-07-04 Latest update 2008-07-04 09:33 TU

China Southern Airlines chiarman Liu Shao-yang piloting the first direct China-Taiwan flight(Photo: Reuters)

China Southern Airlines chiarman Liu Shao-yang piloting the first direct China-Taiwan flight
(Photo: Reuters)

The first direct flight from China to Taiwan in almost 60 years touched down this morning in Taipei. The chairman of China Southern Airlines piloted the charter flight from Guangzhou in southern China to the Taiwanese capital, where passengers were greeted with a ceremony that included a traditional Chinese lion dance. It was the first of 36 direct flights across the strait to be launched this weekend.

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"This is a sacred moment," said Liu Shaoyong, China Southern Airlines chairman. "Flying over the strait to Taiwan is like coming home."

The new direct flights will fly between major cities in China and Taiwan four days a week (Friday-Monday), which will reduce travel time, as people will no longer have to make a stop in Hong Kong or elsewhere.

The agreement to resume the direct flights was signed last month after China and Taiwan held their first direct talks in a decade. It is a visible sign of the improving relationship between the mainland and Taiwan, which split away after a civil war in 1949.

Tension between the two sides has gone down since Ma Ying-jeou took office as Taiwan’s president in May and replaced the pro-independence Chen Shui-bian.

"Today is a new start in the history of exchanges between the two sides," said Wang Yi, director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office. "At present, cross-strait relations are facing a rare opportunity for development.”

China’s official stance is that Taiwan is a breakaway territory, and it will take it back by force if necessary. Following the civil war, Taiwan shut down trade and direct transport from the mainland.

Hostility between the two has not hindered trade, which hit more than 64 billion euros last year.

Taiwan allows up to 3,000 visitors a day from China. The tourism income could give a boost to the island’s sluggish economy.