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China calls for direct flights

China yesterday called on Taiwan to push for direct charter flights rather than Taipei's proposal of indirect charter flights to bring China-based Taiwanese businessmen and their families home during the coming Lunar New Year holidays.

"We think two-way direct flights are a more reasonable approach than having charter flights that stop over in Hong Kong and Macau. We consider it [the stopovers] totally unnecessary," stated a news release from Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

A delegation made up of Taiwan's opposition legislators and representatives of six airline companies led by KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴) yesterday met Chen in Beijing to talk about chartered flights. Chen later issued a news release on Beijing's stance.

Chen said that stopovers in Hong Kong or Macau for indirect charter flights only waste time and money. He called on Taiwan's government to approve "direct charter flights" and allow civil organizations on both sides of the Strait to have talks as soon as possible.

However, without elaborating, Chen said any resumption of talks between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart -- the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) -- would be difficult. He suggested that related industry associations on both sides carry out the negotiations.

"Taiwan should agree to allow industry associations to hold cross-strait talks and not appeal for talks between governments or the SEF and ARATS to delay cross-strait direct transportation," the news release stated.

The statement is viewed as the first formal response from Chinese authorities since Taiwan proposed charter flights to take China-based Taiwanese businessmen home during the Lunar New Year period.

Chang said in Beijing yesterday that it is difficult to push for indirect charter flights. He added that he will try his best to communicate with Chinese authorities.

Responding to the statement, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) reiterated the government's stance by saying that direct charter flights could not be separated from the overall concept of cross-strait direct air links which should be preceded by cross-strait talks.

"We can't view the charter flights issue as an individual case," Tsai said.

She declined to formally respond to Chen's remarks yesterday. "We need some time to study the statement," she said.

Citing an anonymous senior government source in China, the state-owned China Daily reported yesterday that Taipei's lack of sincerity and insistence on clinging to political ideology could dash hopes for cross-strait charter flights.
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