With the clock ticking on a Dec. 31 deadline to renew the Taiwan-Hong Kong aviation pact, officials at the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday expressed optimism about solving the aviation controversy in time.
"The fact is that consultations and negotiations [across the Strait] over the deal have been sped up," MAC Vice Chairman John Teng (
Teng made the comment in response to a local Chinese-language media report that said air transportation between Taiwan and Hong Kong would be immediately disconnected should both sides fail to review or extend the pact before it expires at year's end.
The report added that Chinese authorities may use the issue to force Taiwan back to the negotiating table and accept Beijing's "one China" principle by rejecting any extension.
Teng yesterday called the report "pessimistic and exaggerated."
A high-ranking official from the Straits Exchange Foundation (海基會) also flatly rejected the report's accuracy, saying that "Taiwan has put a priority on resuming bilateral talks above the pact's extension."
The official, who requested anonymity, said that China in June had failed to authorize the Hong Kong government to conduct official talks with Taiwan over the deal.
He said that this time China has authorized Hong Kong officials to mediate with Taiwan but have been slow to respond to Taiwan's calls for talks.
While China may still disapprove of official talks taking place between Taiwan and Hong Kong, the official said that he sees no reason why China would reject the extension.
"It's mutually beneficial to both Taiwan and Hong Kong's economy," the official added.
* The five-year Taiwan-Hong Kong air pact was signed in 1996 and expired on June 12.
* At that time, the two sides failed to renew the agreement but extended its expiration date for six months.
* Under the current deal, Taiwan and Hong Kong airlines are each given a quota of 121 flights between the two destinations per week.
* Governments on both sides of the Strait are under pressure by air carriers to increase flight quotas.
Sources at China Airlines Co (華航), EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) and the Civil Aeronautics Administration were tight-lipped yesterday, saying that "the MAC is working on it."
However, some argued that MAC's insistence on managing bilateral talks may hinder a final solution because Taiwan and Hong Kong carriers which operate along the route have traditionally played a leading role in the negotiations.
The five-year Taiwan-Hong Kong air pact was signed in 1996 and expired on June 12 of this year.
At that time, the two sides failed to renew the agreement but extended its expiration date for six more months.
Under the current deal, Taiwan and Hong Kong airlines are each given a quota of 121 flights between the two destinations per week.
Governments on both sides of the Strait are under increasing pressure by air carriers to increase flight quotas as the highly profitable route is expanding rapidly.
The route served over 5 million passengers last year, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
RSS