Ten additional direct flights between Taiwan and China have resumed starting today (Mar. 10), Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council announced yesterday.
This announcement comes a month after China urged Taiwan to open its doors for 16 more direct flights on Feb. 1, TVBS reported.
“This demonstrates our most sincere goodwill,” Council spokesperson Chan Chih-hung emphasised.
Flights will increase to 420 weekly
According to Liberty Times, the number of flight destinations to China from Taiwan was reduced to five from 51 during the pandemic.
However, airlines only flew to four of them — Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu & Xiamen — with a maximum of 211 flights allowed every week.
The ten flights announced will fly to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Ningbo, and Zhengzhou. They will bring the number of maximum weekly flights to 420.
Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s policy-making body on China matters, also announced that they will allow chartered flights to 13 other cities in China with fewer Taiwanese businesspeople.
At the press conference yesterday, Chan explained that the Council had considered China’s request and called for China to work together on increasing “friendly interactions” with each other.
China urge Taiwan to “follow the people’s wishes”
China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV reported that Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang said
yesterday that they had “paid attention “to Taiwan’s announcement.
“Peace, prosperity, communication and cooperation are the common hope between Chinese and Taiwanese people, “Ma said.
He also urged Taiwan to “follow the people’s wishes” and restore more direct flights and shipping routes between China and Taiwan.
Top image via Facebook udn.com 聯合新聞網
