My recent proposal that Tai-wanese businessmen charter aircraft to travel between the mainland and Taiwan during the Lunar New Year was based on several considerations.
From a humanitarian point of view, it would solve the problem of the lack of Taiwan-bound flights for Taiwanese businessmen during the New Year and eliminate exhausting flight transfers.
From a security point of view, using Taiwanese aircraft to transport our citizens along existing international routes clearly means that such flights would remain within the scope of Ministry of National Defense regulations on destinations and fixed schedules as well providing a safe way of assessing the actual impact on national security of direct transportation links. If necessary, security personnel could be stationed on board the aircraft, and if security risks were discovered, we could immediately cancel a flight on our own initiative.
From a policy point of view, we would be in control. Chartering aircraft to test the feasibility of comprehensive cross-strait direct transportation links without the burden of political concerns would allow both sides of the Strait to make constructive suggestions. We would be able to keep the initiative, test Beijing's sincerity over direct links and demonstrate that the government cares about our citizens.
From a psychological point of view, it would put an end to longstanding myths about and objections to direct transport links across the Strait and restore faith in cross-strait policies.
From an efficiency point of view, Taiwanese businessmen would save seven hours by traveling directly between Taipei and Shanghai. The cost of travel would fall dramatically.
The market for chartering aircraft for international travel is a free one. It does not involve traffic rights, nor would it require the governments on each side of the Strait to sign an aviation agreement. All that is required is that the airline itself submits an application to the two governments. With government approval, Taiwanese airlines have already initiated chartered test flights to India, Cambodia, Vietnam and many other countries with which Taiwan at the time had neither aviation agreements nor diplomatic relations. Aviation agreements were then signed between Taiwan and the countries in question and scheduled flights established without once giving rise to dispute.
Negotiations on direct transport links will not succeed at the first try. Direct transportation in the form of charter flights between determined points could be seen as the initiation of comprehensive transport links and as a symbol of the sincerity of both Taiwan and the mainland toward the direct transportation issue. Chiu Yi-jen (
As for the doubts raised by the DPP and others in reaction to my proposal, I wish to make several points.
One concern raised is that the "temporary mainland regulations" (大陸暫行規定) are harmful to Taiwan's sovereignty. These regulations were specifically introduced to regulate the chartering of aircraft for the Asian Games in Beijing 12 years ago.
The civil aviation authorities in Beijing say that they will not handle applications for chartered aircraft during the Lunar New Year in accordance with this outdated document. Other related concerns, such as the use of the national flag and other national symbols and the nature of in-flight publications, can be handled sensibly by the carriers themselves.
There are concerns regarding the applicability of legislation concerning accident compensation and other issues. I have several times chartered aircraft to travel to countries with which Taiwan does not have diplomatic relations. They all allow international precedents to apply, with each party respecting the legislation of the other.
Concerns have also been raised that the demand for flights during the Lunar New Year will be too great, that Taiwanese airports will not have sufficient capacity and that the exercise will lose all significance if only one or two aircraft are chartered. If the Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao International airports were to add 400 to 500 arrivals and departures to and from CKS, Kaohsiung and Sungshan airports during the 14 days around the holiday (ie, one week before and after New Year's Eve), that would only amount to about 40 flights per day.
This would not be a problem either from a technical point of view or in terms of capacity. Nor would it be a problem for carriers to allocate aircraft during the holiday.
Flight routes and national security have become a matter of concern. The result of discussions with various ministries and carriers regarding existing international air routes is that there will be sufficient time to identify incoming aircraft as civilian planes.
Direct charter flights could, in fact, begin immediately, both from the perspective of routes and from a technical point of view. When it comes to setting schedules, destinations and chartering carriers, there are no security concerns, since our aircraft will be transporting our citizens.
Finally, there are concerns that the government will interfere in negotiations. In past applications to charter flights to or negotiate flight agreements with countries with which we have no diplomatic relations, negotiations have been handled by the Taipei Airlines Association.
Our government has never negotiated directly with another government. At most, it has directed negotiations by taking on an advisory role, as was the case during the negotiation of the aviation agreement between Taiwan and Hong Kong. Apart from the Taipei Airlines Association, we also have the Chinese Society of Civil Aviation. The mainland counterpart is the Cross-strait Air Transportation Exchange Committee.
We must have charter flights before direct cross-strait transportation links can be opened. If we are not even allowed to charter aircraft, then the people of Taiwan cannot hope for direct transport links to be established within the next few years.
John Chang is chairman of the Taiwan Businessmen in China Association and a KMT legislator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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