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Direct, cross-strait flights 'doable' by July: Taiwan official

Asian Political News, April 21, 2008

TAIPEI, April 16 Kyodo

Establishing direct, weekend charter flights across the Taiwan Strait by July is ''doable,'' according to the incoming chairman of Taiwan's semi-official organization that directly oversees contact with rival China.

''We're preparing now for direct flights before July 4 -- that should be doable,'' Chiang Pin-kun told Kyodo News in an interview Tuesday after being confirmed by Taiwan's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou on Monday as the next chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation.

Currently, travelers between Taiwan and China typically must transit through Hong Kong or a third country as more than a half-century of cross-strait enmity has prevented direct transportation links.

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Ma of the Nationalist Party (KMT) won the island's March 22 presidential election on the back of vows to improve ties with China and enhance cross-strait business links.

Chiang's comment echoes earlier promises by Ma to begin direct, cross-strait charter flights by July.

Chiang met Wednesday with various local banking, airline and tourism officials to coordinate the island's plans for opening up to China.

Besides direct flights, Chiang said he is working toward allowing convertibility between the Taiwan dollar and China's yuan to convenience an expected heavy flow of Chinese tourists to the island.

Ma has vowed to eventually open up Taiwan to 3 million Chinese tourists yearly. Currently, Chinese tourists can only come to the main island of Taiwan through a third country and cannot exchange their yuan for Taiwan dollars on the main island.

''Preparation for allowing mainland tourists to come to Taiwan is underway,'' Chiang said.

He denied local media reports Tuesday that he would not travel to China before May 20, when Ma is inaugurated as president.

Chiang was previously quoted by local media as saying that he would travel to China, presumably to meet with Chen Yunlin, who is expected to direct SEF's counterpart in China, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

Chiang reportedly enjoys close contact with Chen.

''I didn't say I wouldn't go,'' Chiang said, referring to Tuesday's reports.

''It's just that plans for such a trip are not finished,'' he said, adding, ''If, after May 20, I can visit China while SEF and ARATS begin negotiations, I believe there will be fewer obstacles to visiting then.''

Ma's appointment of Chiang as SEF chairman puts Chiang at the center of Ma's vows to realize better ties with China.

From establishing direct links, currency convertibility and allowing mainland tourists to come to Taiwan, Chiang will likely serve as Ma's point man in hammering out the details in key cross-strait plans.

Negotiations on such matters are a sensitive issue as China and Taiwan lack official ties and are traditional rivals, with the former claiming the latter as part of its territory.

Nonetheless, cross-strait business ties have flourished in recent decades even as China has repeated vows to eventually unify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Direct, cross-strait flights 'doable' by July: Taiwan official

Asian Political News, April 21, 2008

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