Lifting of ban on overflights of China signals progress

The government's move to allow Taiwanese aircraft to fly through Chinese airspace might be a signal of future progress on a highly controversial issue -- the opening-up of direct transportation links across the Taiwan Strait, political analysts said yesterday.

The Cabinet last week lifted the five-decades-old ban, with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) explaining that there was no need for bilateral negotiations on this matter. Also, legal procedures for airline companies to file applications were drafted within three business days after the announcement was made.

While Chinese government has not made an official response to this issue so far, it seems that the Taiwanese government has been actively pushing the matter along.

However, this was not the case four years ago, when the legislature passed a resolution asking the government to divert Europe-bound flights away from the Middle East by flying through Chinese airspace during theUS-led Iraq war, but the government seemed loath to follow up on the proposal.

The government's reaction to the resolution was that it would consider such requests case by case, and would be willing to provide help to airline companies if they take the initiative to make an application. But no company made such a request, which many regarded as an indication that they were discouraged by the government.

Such allegations were supported by a report China Airlines and EVA Airways made to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications after the passage of the resolution, in which the two companies said that the economic benefits of having to get single flights approved weren't great.

As the two companies had sought access to Chinese airspace to save time and money for some time, the conclusion raised a lot of eyebrows at the time.

In addition, the government insisted on bilateral negotiations over the matter, with Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), former MAC chairwoman, saying in the legislature in January 2002 that the negotiations between the two governments would be necessary as Taiwan and China hadn't signed a civil air transport agreement with each other.

Delving the possible reasons why the government has changed its position on this matter, officials and analysts said that the government decided to take a pro-active approach to cross-strait relations, noting that the sharp rise of the international crude oil prices was a timely excuse for the government to adjust its cross-strait policy.

Legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that while the government hadn't said "no" to airline companies' requests to flying through Chinese airspace, the government's reluctant attitude to lift the ban was seen in the two companies' written report.

"It happens all the time that the airline companies echo the government's opinions," he said.

Another for the government to keep the ban in place is that the Chinese government might want a reciprocal arrangement with Taiwan, Lin said.

"Since China's animosity towards Taiwan and the possibility of demanding reciprocal rights to flyover Taiwanese airspace remains the same as the situation in 2001, I can only say that the government's cross-strait policy changed," Lin said.

A high-level official of the MAC told the Taipei Times on condition of anonymity that lifting the ban on flying over Chinese airspace is part of the government's effort to facilitate direct transportation links across the Strait.

"There is no reason for the government to express its willingness to negotiate with the Chinese side to set up direct non-stop passenger, cargo and special-purpose charter flights between the Strait on the one hand and then keep the ban on flying over Chinese airspace on the other," he said, noting that "the ban would turn out to be meaningless and irrational if the direct transportation links has been set up one day."

Andy Chang (張五岳), an associate professor of Graduate Institute of China Studies of Tamkang University, also considers lifting the ban as a "warm-up" run for the opening up of direct transportation links across the Strait.

"To save on costs for airline companies is a secondary reason, as it is not so important for the nation's economy. The true meaning is that it would mark a big step forward in advancing cross-strait direct transportation links," Chang said.

Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), the executive director of the Institute for National Policy Research and an associate professor at Soochow University, considers it necessary for the government to take a pro-active approach toward the Chinese government's employment of a "soft strategy" after it passed the "Anti-Secession" Law.

The soft strategy includes tactics such as the opening of Chinese market to Taiwanese fruit and Beijing inviting senior opposition leaders to visit China, and seems to have "put Taiwan's ruling government on the defensive," Lo said, noting that "lifting the ban on flights through Chinese airspace would be a counter-move that could turn the table."

According to Lo, since Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) adopted unification-driven tactics to deal with Taiwan, Taiwan should also take the initiative in bringing up issues that favor Taiwan as a means of appeal to the international community.

"If the Chinese side accepts this proposal, the result is good for spurring Taiwan's economic development. If it turns down the proposal, it proves to the international community that Taiwan should not to be blamed for being unwilling to act in a pragmatic way to interact with China," Lo said.