President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has given "concrete instructions" making chartered cross-strait cargo flights a priority, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
"I can assure you that President Chen has given us concrete instructions to continue with efforts towards bringing about chartered cargo flights ... and that these instructions move in a good direction," MAC Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said without elaborating yesterday.
Chiu refused to disclose the details of Chen's instructions, saying only that Chen's recent vow -- made on Wednesday -- to push for direct cross-strait cargo flights was more than just talk.
Chiu did disclose yesterday that Premier Frank Hsieh (
Since the launch of direct cross-strait charter flights exclusively servicing taishang -- Taiwanese businesspeople based in China -- during the Lunar New Year, the business community and authorities have sought to build on the precedent and establish cargo flights under a similar agreement.
Chiu said yesterday that, with just three flights left, a total of 9,889 taishang had taken advantage of the direct flights during the holiday.
Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Ken Hsu (
"All of this money is going to Hong Kong and Macau," Hsu said, pressing the government to pick up the pace on relaxing restrictions on passenger and freight transit across the Strait.
"The government is prepared to take action on this, and we hope that China will do the same," Chiu said yesterday. Reports in the local media have indicated that China is likely to respond positively to Taiwan's proposal.
Chiu did point, however, to the difficulties that cargo flights could pose, indicating that direct cargo flights would inevitably draw a reaction from the marine cargo shipping sector.
TransAsia Airways Chairman Tony Fan (
Fan, who is tapped to take over as chairman of the Taipei Airlines Association, the organization the government authorized to negotiate with Beijing on the New Year flights, said that cargo shipping would involve various concerns previously untouched.
"We would have to handle products restricted in certain areas and conflicts that might arise with the shipper. And handling these situations poorly could reflect negatively on Taiwan's international image," Fan said, indicating that the operation of cargo flights could open a Pandora's box of difficulties hitherto unforeseen.
Chang Wu-ueh (
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