With a landmark deal reached between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan airlines in Macao to allow non-stop charter flights over the Chinese New Year holidays, the plan for 2005 charter flights for the family reunions of the Taiwan businesspeople has been realized. Under the deal, from January 29 to February 20, six airliners from each side of the Taiwan Straits will take part in the charter flights. Mainland commercial planes will land and take off on Taiwan for the first time in 56 years this month under a landmark agreement on direct cross-Straits charter flights for the upcoming Spring Festival while the Taiwan airlines will have direct flights to Beijing and Guangzhou for the first time for more than 50 years.

Embody the equal participation in the economic affairs

When the relations across the Straits fall into deadlock, without doubt it is of special significance in history to realize the flights this year to be operated by airlines from both sides. The charter flights belong to economic affairs, and the two-way charter flights for 2005 Spring Festival embody that the airlines on both sides of the Straits have the equal participation in the charter flights.

During Spring Festival in 2003, the Taiwan authorities refused the mainland airlines to fly to Taiwan by "security" reason. As a result only Taiwanese airlines operated charter flights to and from the mainland. That was the result that the Taiwan authorities had made the economic affairs across the Straits pan-politicization and deprived the mainland airlines of their equal participation rights. The charter flights were finally grounded in the 2004 Spring Festival because Taipei again refused the participation of mainland airlines and insisted on a stopover for all charter flights.

At the beginning of this year, under the strong demand and active push by the mainland Taiwan businesspeople and inland airlines the mainland side proposed two-way, direct and non-stop flights with many destinations, which has been reached a consensus by the two sides. The new consensus has reduced the cost and security risks caused by stopover flights and ensured the equal rights for the mainland airlines to enjoy equal participation in charter flights. It is a major progress if compared with the charter flights in 2003.

Only by going ahead with two-way flights, there will be a sound cycle for the airlines on both sides of the Straits in their business operations, or even become a practice. And only by this can there be good opportunities for the two-sides' airlines in developing their new businesses.

Embody irreversible trend for the exchanges across the Straits

"Three direct links of trade, mail, and air and shipping services across the Taiwan Straits'' has been regarded by "Taiwan independence'' forces as a dangerous road. They worry that once there are "three links" Taiwan will fall into reliance on the mainland and there will be no hope for the "Taiwan independence'' forces forever. Because of this, Taiwan authorities insisting on the stand of "Taiwan independence'' has been always stumbled along and stood against the direct charter flights, regarding the issue as "the open sesame to three links��'.

If so the Taiwan authorities has to agree with the 2005 charter flights for the coming Spring Festival despite of that it is not satisfied with what the Kuomintang did on the charter flights and of that on the island there is saying that there will be likely "military planes behind the civilian passenger planes''.

Zhu Weidong, an expert with the Taiwan Research Institute under the China Academy of Social Sciences pointed out in his recent interview with a People's Daily reporter that this is not only the result that Chen Shui-bian is agreed under pressure from the demand by pan-blue camp and the United States to relax the tension across the Straits, but also embodies the pressure from the strong demand by the Taiwan businesspeople and airlines.

According to statistics the number of people traveling across the Straits has reached more than 3 million annually and the number of Taiwan businesspeople who cannot return to their hometown for family reunion during the Spring Festival has reached up to 150,000 due to the inconvenient traffic across the Straits each year. The charter flights during the Spring Festival are an expedient for settling the issue of Taiwan businesspeople to return home. It not only can increase the aviation capacity during the Spring Festival, but also make Taiwan businesspeople avoid the inconvenience of changing planes via Hong Kong and Macao. In addition, the aviation market on the island is limited with fierce competition. If the charter flights business for the Spring Festival is developed into a practice, then the Taiwan businesspeople numbering hundreds of thousands or even more returning home for family reunions during the Spring Festival will be the good news for the island airlines. The Taiwan authorities should understand the trend for the charter flight market is irreversible.

Embody the policy by which the mainland deals with the affairs across the Straits

From the angle of politics, the relations across the Straits are situated in an unprecedented impasse. However, the mainland side has adopted active attitude towards the issue on the charter flights for Taiwan businesspeople during the Spring Festival and has contacted twice with the island civilian representatives and airlines. In the end consensus has been reached, which is the sincerity shown by the mainland in a push for the charter flights and embodies the policy by the mainland in dealing with economic affairs including the charter flights.

The charter flights belong to economic affairs, which is convenient for Taiwan businesspeople and also conduce to the improvement of the economic benefits between the airlines on the two sides across the Straits. The mainland side has always boosted the economic and trade exchanges and personal intercourse across the Straits. Under the circumstance of the political tension across the Straits it still made a push for the charter flights during the 2005 Spring Festival.

And yet the Taiwan authorities attempted to let officials from Taiwan's "mainland affairs council'' and the "Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications'' take part in the negotiations as advisers for the Taipei Airlines Association; and on one hand it wants to show its "decision-making role'' and on the other hand to make the political and publicizing effects of "both sides in equal negotiations'' outstanding. The island media pointed out that this would make the charter flights negotiations with political nature.

For this, the mainland side adheres to the stand that it will never to resume talks with the Taiwan authorities if the Taiwan authorities does not recognize the principle of one China. But at the same time, to be beneficial to make the charter flights successful, the mainland has adopted flexible policies and expressed clearly that the charter flights should be dealt with by the airlines across the Straits instead of by the officials.

Finally, Pu Zhaozhou, head of the mainland delegation and vice chairman of the board of directors of the mainland-based Straits Aviation Exchange Commission, and Lo Ta-hsin, head of the Taiwan delegation and chairman of the Taipei Airlines Association held talks. The consensus reached in Macao is the result achieved by civilian talks, which eliminates the interaction brought about by political disputes and solves the charter flights for the Spring Festival, an issue of economic affairs.

By People's Daily Online