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US, EU welcome decision to expedite charter flights
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The Mainland Affairs Council said it had received letters of congratulation after the government announced the relaxation of restrictions on direct flights
By Chang Yun-ping
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Jun 16, 2006, Page 2
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"Beijing probably realized that if it were to procrastinate on cross-strait exchanges because of the current domestic situation in Taiwan it would miss out on an opportunity to improve cross-strait relations."
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Joseph Wu, Mainland Affairs Council chairman
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The government's announcement on Wednesday that it would increase direct cargo and passenger charter flights across the Taiwan Strait received positive acknowledgements from the US and the EU yesterday, officials said.
Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the US and the European Trade Office in Taipei had congratulated the government on its decision to expand direct air links between Taiwan and China.
China's agreement to the expansion showed that it was taking a pragmatic approach, Wu said.
"Beijing probably realized that if it were to procrastinate on cross-strait exchanges because of the current domestic situation in Taiwan it would miss out on an opportunity to improve cross-strait relations," he said.
Wu added that negotiations on allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan and the provision of regular cargo and passenger charter flights were going well and were expected to be finalized by the end of the year.
Wu said the government planned to allow 1,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan per day during the first year of the new tourism plan's implementation, but said he expected the number to be increased.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said that the US, the EU and Asia-Pacific countries regarded the expansion of cross-strait air links as being conducive to peace and stability in the region.
A US State Department official in charge of East Asian affairs said the relaxation of charter flight restrictions was an important step toward improving cross-strait relations, according to a CNA report yesterday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, urged the authorities in Beijing to initiate direct contact with the elected leadership of Taiwan.
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