Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇) reiterated yesterday that allowing Chinese tourists to board transit flights in Taiwan and improving the efficiency of cross-strait flight operations are separate issues to be discussed in cross-strait negotiations.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is standing firm on this position, he told lawmakers on the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津).
There have been media reports that Beijing intends to allow Chinese tourists to transit through Taiwan on their way to a third country — in exchange for Taipei’s permission to allow Chinese airlines to fly over the midline of the Taiwan Strait.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) has said that the government would give up the opportunity of boosting transit passenger numbers in the nation’s airports rather than allow Chinese airlines to fly across the midline of the Strait.
“China has said that it intends to improve the efficiency of the cross-strait flight route, which is just a euphemism. What it wants to accomplish through its proposal is the weakening of Taiwan’s national defense,” Yeh said.
The committee also discussed the Hengchun Airport as members reviewed the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s (CAA) proposed budget for next year.
The airport in Hengchun (恆春), Pingtung County, loses more than NT$60 million (US$1.83 million) annually.
CAA records show that there has not been a flight using the airport since September last year.
Yeh and DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) said the government spent about NT$500 million building the airport, which opened in 2004, but the facility has only made NT$1.34 million per year, while its annual overhead tops NT$67 million.
The airport has been unable to develop because of many factors, including downslope winds that affect its runway as well as having a nuclear power plant as its neighbor, Yeh said.
The ministry has asked the Pingtung County Government to conduct research to help it determine if the airport should remain open, Yeh said it was doubtful more research could solve the problem.
Yeh said she hoped that the NT$2 million research project would address the airport’s financial losses.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that the ministry should not only consider whether the airport should stay open or be closed, but also take tourism development in the area — including Hengchun, Kenting (墾丁) and Siaoliouciou (小琉球) — into account.
CAA Director General Lin Tyh-ming (林志明) said that the results of the research are due in August next year.
Hengchun Airport’s short runway means it can only be used by small aircraft. Only one airline uses the airport and last year there were just 768 passengers.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS