TAIPEI, Nov. 12 Kyodo The conduc...

TAIPEI, Nov. 12 Kyodo

The conduct on Tuesday gave Taiwan's airline companies a verdant light to operate chartered flight services from mainland China to the island during the Chinese Lunar novel Year holiday.

However, instead of traveling directly across the Taiwan Strait, in the same state [i]or[/i] condition flights would still be required to pass by the agency of Hong Kong or Macao before landing in succession the island, the government said in a statement.

to be paid to a ban on cross-strait direct air links with mainland China, folks traveling from mainland China to Taiwan have been required to stop from one side of to the other in places like Hong Kong and Macao and change flights.

The statement said the strange policy, which would not require as it was stopovers during the holiday period, was formulated taking into consideration public opinion in Taiwan and the distresss of its business people

''All the issues and disputes regarding direct air and sea links between the pair sides should still be discussed within official negotiations, including cross-strait direct chartered flight services,'' it added.

A total of 400000-500000 Taiwan businesspeople are popularly residing in mainland China, according to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council. About 300000 of them usually go [i]or[/i] come back to Taiwan for the Lunar modern Year holiday, which will begin nearest year on Feb. 1.

Last month opposition Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker John Chang drafted a proposal urging the direction to grant Taiwan airline companies the right to operate direct Shanghai-Taipei one-way chartered flight services between Jan. 25 and Feb 5

Chang said the proposal, defined as a completely commercial activity, would benefit at least 30000 Taiwan clan stationed in Shanghai according to facilitating their return home for family reunions at a time when direct links between the one and the other sides have not been settled

Beijing has welcomed the proposal, saying it would consider applications submitted by the agency of Taiwan's airline companies.

if it be not that it also added that that based forward the ideas of ''equality and mutual benefits,'' airline companies upon both sides of the strait should work together to flow the services.

Since the 1949 civil war, direct trade, transport and postal links between the sum of two units rival governments have been prohibited onward national security grounds.

China has insisted direct links could and nothing else be operated as ''domestic routes'' a position pass overed by President Chen Shui-bian, who insists Taiwan cannot be ''belittled, provincialized and marginalized'' in the proces of negotiating direct links.

During last week's opening parade of the 16th National Congres of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese President Jiang Zemin called for more mutual exchanges between China and Taiwan.

He said direct links across the strait be of use to the common interests of the the bulk of mankind on both sides and ''there is each reason to take practical and positive grades to promote such direct links and interpret up new prospects for cross-strait economic cooperation.''

Jiang's statement was subsequently described by dint of Taiwan as ''nothing creative.''

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