The Chinese mainland on Friday urged breakthroughs in achieving direct transport links across the Taiwan Straits so as to push forward the normal development of cross-Straits economic ties.

 

The two sides should hold talks to regularize and normalize charter flights, which were launched during the past three Spring Festivals, said Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), at the opening of a cross-Straits economic and trade forum.

 

Jia expressed the hope that the aviation industries on the two sides of the Taiwan Straits can deal with relevant problems flexibly and practically according to market demand, in a bid to gain substantive progress.

 

On the direct links on the sea, Jia suggested non-governmental organizations in the mainland and Taiwan hold consultations and reach a consensus.

 

At the current stage, the direct transport of non-tariff farm produce from Taiwan to the mainland could be taken as a pacesetter for that of all agricultural products, said Jia, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body.

 

"We should step up the process of direct, two-way and comprehensive 'three direct links' (in mail, transport and trade) across the Straits," he said.

 

Honorary Chairman Lien Chan of the Taiwan-based Chinese Kuomintang party also underlined the importance of direct links at the forum.

 

"We have to face up to the problem of the 'three direct links', " said Lien.

 

"We stayed on the airplane for eight or nine hours before our arrival in the mainland yesterday. This took us almost the same time to fly from Taiwan to Hawaii," he said.

 

Although the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan has agreed on charter flights across the Straits, it gives the public the impression that it would not take action unless it was pushed hard to move ahead, he said.

 

Spring Festival charter flights, arranged after the talks between civil aviation associations of the mainland and Taiwan, are most desired by Taiwanese on the mainland in the absence of regular direct flights across the Taiwan Straits.

 

Incomplete statistics showed more than 300,000 Taiwanese working or living in the mainland returned to Taiwan during the Spring Festival period.

 

The charter flights were only arranged for the Spring Festival season and people have to resort to the six-hour or even longer indirect flights during the rest of time.

 

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2006)