Civil aviation authorities on the mainland and
Taiwan Province
reached consensus on the importance of direct aviation links across
the Taiwan Straits Friday in Beijing.
They agreed in a statement that both should start direct flights as
soon as possible.
The direct link will benefit air companies on both sides,
especially after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United
States, which had pitched the global aviation industry into
recession.
Representatives from six Taiwan-based airlines and three mainland
aviation groups -- Air China, China Southern Airlines and China
Eastern Airlines -- reached the agreement after two hours of
discussions Friday morning.
They said direct transportation is the desire of all Chinese people
across the Taiwan Straits, and direct flights will help airlines
greatly cut short operation costs.
A
senior Taiwan affairs official Friday urged the Taiwan authorities
to adopt flexible policies to push forward the "three direct
links'' -- direct transport, post and trade -- across the Taiwan
Straits.
Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State
Council, said when meeting the Taiwan aviation delegation that the
Three Links could be conducted between companies or organizations
from the both sides if only the issues were discussed as internal
affairs within one country.
He
said the mainland has been pushing the direct links in the past 20
years, and hopes the Taiwan authorities can take into account the
interests of Chinese people as a whole and adopt concrete measures
to realize the Three Links.
Chen praised the delegation's efforts in helping promote
understanding between aviation industries from both sides, and
promised that his office will continue to do its best to push
communication across the Straits.
As
the top mission of the Taiwan delegation's mainland trip, aviation
companies from both sides discussed related issues concerning
direct flights.
According to the announcement released by the civil aviation
authorities across the straits, nearly all the technical questions
had been resolved and it had been agreed planes operating across
Taiwan Straits would bear no flags.
Taiwan representatives said they hoped the Chinese mainland could
open air space for Taiwan-based airlines to help cut operation
costs and maintain aviation safety.
Flying European air routes through the mainland could keep aircraft
away from war-plagued Afghanistan and save hours of operation
time.
Bao Peide, vice-minister of General Administration of Civil
Aviation of China, said his office was willing to cooperate with
Taiwan airlines on the issue.
"As long as it benefits Taiwan airlines and within the framework of
the One-China principle, we will do our best to provide help,'' Bao
said.
He
told Taiwan airlines to send an application to his administration
which will be considered as soon as possible.
Taiwan legislator Elmer H. Fung, who heads the aviation delegation,
said all the airlines in Taiwan support the direct aviation link,
and hoped a breakthrough could be reached at an early date.
"Airlines from both sides of the Taiwan Straits should cooperate to
minimize the negative impacts of the September 11 terrorist attacks
in the United States, and find a way out for the aviation
industry,'' he said.
Pu
Zhaozhou, president of the Association for Aviation Across the
Taiwan Straits, said mainland airlines are also looking forward to
direct aviation links, and wished to open offices in Taipei. The
mainland now allows Taiwan airlines to set up offices on
mainland.
Both sides agreed to hold a aviation safety conference in the near
future, discussing related safety questions with hijacking becoming
the worst threat to the industry.
Li
Fei, professor with the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen
University, said the visit would push the development of direct
links between the two sides but a breakthrough would need a change
in policy from the Taiwan authorities.
"These companies wish to enlarge their markets as the industry
keeps going down, but Taiwan's existing mainland policies hold them
back,'' Li said.
He
said only when the Taiwan authorities publicly accepts the
one-China principle, could the Three Links really be back on the
right track.
(China
Daily 10/13/2001))