China’s Taiwan Affairs Office yesterday announced that it would allow residents of Chongqing, Kunming and Nanchang to transit at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for flights to a third country, adding that the trial run is the result of Chinese President Xi Jingping’s (習近平) meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The announcement was released by Xinhua news agency on its Web site.
Xinhua said residents of the three cities would be able to board transit flights in Taiwan with their passports, interline tickets and boarding pass for a flight to a third country — after both sides finish preparatory work.
Nanchang is in Jiangxi Province, Chongqing is in Sichuan Province and Kunming is in Yunan Province.
The Mainland Affairs Council welcomed China’s decision.
“During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November last year, President Ma Ying-jeou expressed an earnest hope that China could agree to the much-anticipated proposal at the earliest date,” the council said in a news release.
After the Ma-Xi meeting in Singapore on Nov. 7 last year, the council and the Straits Exchange Foundation continued to negotiate with China on the issue through several channels, the council said.
“We are glad to see China’s goodwill response,” it said.
Foundation vice chairman Chou Ji-shiang (周繼祥) said it has always been the government’s policy that Chinese air travelers should be allowed to board transit flights in Taiwan as is customary with international flights.
Beijing’s decision was acceptable, although the government hopes that all Chinese travelers would be allowed to do so, he said.
The two sides have discussed the policy for a long time, and Taiwan was hoping that the policy could be implemented last year, but China chose to wait until close to the Jan. 16 elections, Chou said.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) said Ma was glad that China launched the program.
“President Ma recognizes China’s sincerity in putting into practice the consensuses they reached during the meeting. He also notes that the current cross-strait peace and prosperity have not come easily and hopes his successor can maintain and cherish these hard-won achievements,” Chen said.
China Airlines and EVA Airways welcomed the decision.
“We hope that the policy could quickly apply to residents in other cities in China after the trial run is over,” EVA Airways said, which has flights between Taoyuan and Chongqing.
China Airlines has flights to Nanchang from Taoyuan and Kaohsiung.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp (桃園國際機場股份有限公司) said that it is ready to handle transit passengers from China.
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