The end of June saw China call for more direct flights across the Taiwan Strait and eventually to create a regular air service linking Taiwan with mainland China. This has not happened since 1949 and is clearly a positive step.

China is of the view that chartered direct flights will again be offered around the next major Chinese holiday, Ging Ming, or Pure Brightness, which falls April 5th this year. The Deputy Chief of the office’s economic division said that the expansion of the customer base from Taiwan businesspeople living on the mainland to other Taiwan and mainland residents has to be done. This is for those people, who require traveling across the Strait.

The deputy chief of the office’s economic division has urged the expansion of the customer base from Taiwan businesspeople living on the mainland to other Taiwan and mainland residents who need to travel across the Strait.

Beijing would also like to see direct cargo flights across the Strait. Since 1949 Taiwan has banned direct air links with the Chinese mainland when the Nationalists fled to the island after being defeated by the Communists. Cross-Straits charter flights were first run – temporarily – during the 2003 Spring Festival, but only Taiwan carriers were allowed to operate the service and the flights had to stop via Hong Kong.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that shall be reunited with the mainland. The Chinese government have often pressed for direct air, sea and mail links for years, which have been resisted by Taiwan authorities.