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Ma promises direct cross-strait flights

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) shared his concerns with the nation's airline industry yesterday about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's reluctance to implement direct links with China, pledging to implement them if he were elected next year.

"Unlike the DPP government, I will fulfill my promises and my policies will improve the economy. I will play it real, play it big and play it long," Ma said during a meeting with the industry representatives in Taipei.

If the direct links were implemented, Ma said, it would only take 80 minutes to fly from Taipei to Shanghai.

Pushing for cross-strait direct flights, however, does not mean that more Taiwanese business would relocate to China, he said.

"Direct flights make it more convenient for Taiwanese businessmen to do business in China. Local businesses can establish their headquarters and research and development in Taiwan, while doing the manufacturing in China," Ma said.

Panning the DPP government's ban on allowing more Chinese tourists to visit the country, Ma also promised to generate more revenue for the industry by pushing for at least 3,000 Chinese tourists to be allowed to visit Taiwan every day.

Ma said the policy of allowing 1,000 Chinese tourists into the country per day is too conservative.

If elected, Ma promised to increase the number to 3,000 per day, with a goal of 10,000 per day within four years.

"To improve the economy, we need to increase consumption. Three thousand Chinese tourists would generate an annual revenue of NT$60 billion [US$ 1.8 billion]," he said.

Earlier yesterday at a forum with 1999 Nobel laureate Robert Mundell, Ma urged the government to take a more liberal attitude toward economic relations with China.

During the forum, Mundell said the country should implement more free trade and have more contacts with China.

Mundell described existing limitations on cross-strait flights as a "bizarre system" and urged the government to seek direct links to improve the economy.
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