Center
Agreement produces new Taiwan link
By Zhou Weirong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-03 11:28
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"Taiwanese passengers only need to make a phone call to us to get everything settled, including the air tickets, shipping tickets and relevant procedures," said Chen Shyong-jyh, vice-president of Uni Airways Corp. "Their baggage will also go to their designated places directly."
Such seamless services will save travelling costs for Taiwanese businessmen by at least one third and the travel time can also be greatly shortened, according to company executives of the Xiamen airport.
For example, a round trip between Shanghai and Taipei would need only 5 hours under the new arrangement at a cost of 2,500 yuan (US$312), compared with at least 7 hours and 4,000 yuan (US$500) through non-stop charter flight via Hong Kong or Macao.
Statistics showed at least 80,000 trips by Taiwan business-people to and from Shanghai every month. There are almost a million such visits a year.
"It is really a boon to Taiwan business-people and investors to have such a co-operative arrangement," said Jiang Xinda, vice secretary-general of the Association of Shanghai Taiwan Businessmen Invested Enterprises, which has a membership base of at least 1,000.
"However, we have to see how this works out in the long run."
Shanghai reportedly has the largest Taiwanese community in the mainland, with registered Taiwanese companies numbering at least 5,000.
Direct links have become a pressing issue in cross-Straits exchanges with the development of economic and trade relations between the two sides.
The mainland has been pushing for the two-way implementation of "three direct links" in mail, transport and trade, but the political attitudes of Taiwanese authorities had stalled progress on the issue.
The new arrangement by Xiamen International Airport and Uni Air can be called a "mini direct link," which is a good compromise based on the current political environment, said experts.
Such seamless services will save travelling costs for Taiwanese businessmen by at least one third and the travel time can also be greatly shortened, according to company executives of the Xiamen airport.
For example, a round trip between Shanghai and Taipei would need only 5 hours under the new arrangement at a cost of 2,500 yuan (US$312), compared with at least 7 hours and 4,000 yuan (US$500) through non-stop charter flight via Hong Kong or Macao.
Statistics showed at least 80,000 trips by Taiwan business-people to and from Shanghai every month. There are almost a million such visits a year.
"It is really a boon to Taiwan business-people and investors to have such a co-operative arrangement," said Jiang Xinda, vice secretary-general of the Association of Shanghai Taiwan Businessmen Invested Enterprises, which has a membership base of at least 1,000.
"However, we have to see how this works out in the long run."
Shanghai reportedly has the largest Taiwanese community in the mainland, with registered Taiwanese companies numbering at least 5,000.
Direct links have become a pressing issue in cross-Straits exchanges with the development of economic and trade relations between the two sides.
The mainland has been pushing for the two-way implementation of "three direct links" in mail, transport and trade, but the political attitudes of Taiwanese authorities had stalled progress on the issue.
The new arrangement by Xiamen International Airport and Uni Air can be called a "mini direct link," which is a good compromise based on the current political environment, said experts.