Taiwanese businesses based in Chinese-controlled Fujian Province say that they want to be included in the indirect cross-strait cargo charter flight services that the government said on Wednesday would start on Sept. 25.
Wu Ching-chung (吳進忠), chairman of the Taiwan Investment and Business Association in Xiamen, said yesterday that the plan, which allows flights between CKS and Kaohsiung's Hsiaokang international airports and Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao international airports, is not helpful to Taiwanese busi-nesses based in Fujian -- where Taiwanese factories and companies are centered.
Wu suggested that the Mainland Affairs Council consider including Xiamen City as another departure and arrival point in the indirect cross-strait cargo charter flight services to serve Fujian-based Taiwanese businesses in a more significant way.
According to Wu, there are about 2,000 Taiwanese companies in Xiamen City alone. The number of Taiwanese factories and companies easily exceeds 5,000 if other major Fujian cities are counted, including Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Fuzhou. Their need for cargo charter flights to and from Taiwan can easily be imagined, he said.
He said it was a pity that Xiamen was not included in the program as the city's international airport has just completed an expansion of its freight handling system, with capital investment from one air cargo operator and three airline companies from Taiwan.
The new Xiamen International Airport Cargo Station, which cost US$27.44 million, is now capable of handling 150,000 tonnes of cargo annually, mainly targeting the market between Fujian and Taiwan, Wu said.
He added that including Xiamen in the plan would undoubtedly raise Fujian-based Taiwanese businesses' international competitiveness and consolidate their willingness to keep their roots in Taiwan while operating in China.
Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (
The allocation method for scheduled charters will first take into consideration which carriers have air freighters available.
Initially, each carrier will be allocated two to three flights per week. However, no limit will be placed on the allocation of unscheduled charter flights, which will be based on contracts between shippers and carriers.
According to a report released by the council, only China Airlines and Eva Airways possess air freighters at the moment, although Far Eastern Air Transport and TransAsia Airways can lease cargo aircraft.
Regarding goods to be trans-ported by the charter flights, Tsai said that priority will be given to goods imported and exported by Taiwanese businesses. Goods transported from Taiwan to China will mainly be raw materials, components and parts needed by Taiwanese businesses there, while goods transported from China to Taiwan will mainly be earmarked for transshipment to a third destination or re-export after processing.
The council estimated that the gross annual freight capacity volume of scheduled charters will amount to around 73,000 tonnes based on the estimation that each two-way flight by a Boeing 747 freighter can carry a total payload of 200 tonnes.
The main purpose of introducing the indirect cargo charter flights is to address the pressing needs of Taiwanese businesses operating in China, Tsai said.
A statement issued by the council said that the policy of launching the flights was adopted by the government after considering the needs of Taiwanese businesses in the post-SARS era, weighing up the current cross-strait situation and assessing the advantages and disadvantages.
It is a step toward facilitating cross-strait cargo transportation with greater speed and convenience that, while minimally changing the status quo, has the highest practicability and offers mutual benefits to both sides of the Strait, the statement said.
"While cross-strait negotiations remain on hold, and until ways are opened to adopt faster and more convenient modes of cargo transportation, we hope that Beijing will be able to give foremost consideration to the interests and competitiveness of Taiwanese firms operating in China, recognize the importance of benign cross-strait interaction, and cooperate with us in paving the way for the smooth implementation of indirect cargo charter flights, with a view to creating more favorable conditions for the future opening of direct cross-strait transportation," the statement concluded.
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