|
Beijing plans charter flights across Straits
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-01-03 11:18
The Chinese mainland will work hard to promote the launching of charter
flights across the Taiwan Straits during the Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar
New Year, and welcomes Taiwan people to come for talks over the issue, a
spokesman said Sunday.
The mainland hopes the charter flights can be operated by airlines on both
sides of the Straits in direct routes so as to really meet the need of Taiwan
businessmen doing business in the mainland, really save their time and free them
from fatigue during the journey, and really cut the operating costs of airlines
involved, said the spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
It is an internal issue between Chinese across the Straits to decide the
procedures and related technical and business issues of the charter flights,
which should have been settled through the cross-Straits negotiation mechanism,
the spokesman said. "But we cannot get the talks going because of the reason
known to all," he added.
For the benefit of the Taiwan compatriots, the mainland suggested that
airlines across the Straits communicate directly over technical and business
details concerning the charter flights in order to reach a consensus and make
arrangements for them to operate their own flights.
"It's practical and feasible to do so," said the spokesman. "As a matter of
fact, charter flights were run in this way in the Spring Festival of 2003, which
were endorsed by the Taiwan side."
"We have noticed that for some time the major leaders and relevant
departments of Taiwan had advocated launching direct charter flights operated by
airlines on both sides of the Straits for the coming Spring Festival," the
spokesman said.
It is the sincere hope of the mainland that "they can keep their words" and
create conditions for the chartered planes to take off so as to the meet the
strong aspirations of Taiwanese businessmen who have had a year's hard work in
the mainland to return home smoothly for family reunion, he said.
The mainland has also noticed that some opinion leaders and airlines
executives in Taiwan have expressed their willingness to come to the mainland
for talks over the charter flights.
"We welcome them to come and are willing to exchange views with them," said
the spokesman.
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top China
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
