Ground staffers wave hands to see off a Shenzhen Airlines flight bound for Taiwan on Monday morning, as the cross-straits "direct links" start. [Photo: Xinhua]
A ceremony for direct air transport between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan was held in Shanghai Monday morning, starting "direct links" across the Taiwan Strait.
Direct shipping transport and postal services across the Taiwan Strait also start Monday.
At 7:20 a.m., a mainland-based Shenzhen Airlines flight took off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taiwan. Forty minutes later, another mainland flight left Shanghai for the island.
The move marks an end to the practice that air and sea transport as well as mail between the mainland and Taiwan had to go through a third place.
Xu Shiquan, executive vice president of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, said the realization of "direct links" is a "breakthrough" in cross-strait relations and has "landmark significance".
"It will greatly boost cross-strait trade and civilian exchanges," he told Xinhua.
Direct transport, postal service and trade were totally cut off after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
On January 1, 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, published a proposal to Taiwan compatriots, calling for opening up transport, trade and mail services across the Taiwan Strait.
After rounds of negotiations, flight, shipping and postal services across the strait were realized, but all had to go through a third place.
On Nov. 4, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) president, Chen Yunlin, and Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman, Chiang Pin-kung, signed agreements on direct shipping and flights, as well as postal services during their first meeting in Taipei.
Under the agreement of direct air transport, the two sides agreed to launch a cargo charter flight service between two mainland terminals, Pudong in Shanghai and Guangzhou airports, and two Taiwan terminals, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung.
There will be 60 return cargo flights per month, evenly divided between mainland and Taiwan airline companies.
In addition, the two sides will launch regular passenger charter flights, which used to occur only on weekends and the four major traditional festivals.
The mainland agreed to open another 16 terminals for passenger charter flights, besides the five already opened, while Taiwan has already opened eight terminals. The number of flights will increase to 108 every week, also divided evenly, with the number to be adjusted according to demand.
A direct flight from Taipei to Shanghai is only about 80 minutes but, under the current weekend charter flight arrangements, it takes two hours and 42 minutes as planes must fly over Hong Kong.
Under the agreement on direct shipping, passenger and cargo ships, owned by mainland and Taiwan companies may sail directly across the strait subject to official approval.
The mainland will open 63 ports to Taiwan ships while Taiwan will open 11. The two sides might increase the number of ports based on a "developing situation," according to the agreement.
Under this circumstance, direct shipping will help the two sides reduce shipping time by 110,000 hours and transportation costs by 100 million U.S. dollars each year, said Hu Hanxiang, chairman of the executive council of the mainland-based Federation for Shipping Cooperation Across the Taiwan Straits.
Meanwhile, mail services including letters and parcels, express mail services and postal remittances, will also be available across the strait.
Professor Liu Guoshen of the Xiamen University said "direct links" across the Taiwan Strait will help reduce enterprises' costs and improve their competitiveness.
"Given the current situation of global financial crisis and sagging world economy, the direct links will help the mainland and Taiwan stabilize their economies," he said.
The mainland has been the largest trading partner of Taiwan since 2003, with annual trading volume surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars.
John Chiang (3rd L), Vice Chairman of Kuomintang, and Li Jiaxiang (4th L), minister of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, attend the ceremony Monday morning marking the start of the direct flights aross the straits. [Photo: Xinhua]
Passengers pose for pictures before boarding a Shenzhen Airlines flight bound for Taiwan Monday morning as the cross-straits direct links start. [Photo: Xinhua]
