Ceremony held at BJ Int´l Airport for mainland tour group heading for Taiwan

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-04-2008 13:27

Friday sees a historic step in the development of cross-Straits relations with mainland tourists now able to travel to Taiwan. The first groups left for their journey from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Xiamen.

A ceremony was held at the Beijing International Airport to mark the official start of weekend cross-Straits chartered  flights and the beginning of mainland residents' being able to travel to Taiwan.

The trip to Taiwan is a dream come true for many mainland tourists. The excitement among this tourist group leaving Beijing was obvious.

A ceremony was held at the Beijing International Airport to mark the official start of weekend cross-Straits chartered flights and the beginning of mainland residents' being able to travel to Taiwan.

At the ceremony, Director of the CPC Taiwan Work Office, Wang Yi, said authorities on both sides of the Straits had worked very hard for the day.

Wang Yi, Director of CPC Taiwan Office said "Today is a new beginning in the history of the cross-Straits exchanges. The old saying goes, Well Begun is Half Done. We believe that this beginning will be good. With the start of the mainland residents' travelling to Taiwan, the two sides will gradually usher in three direct links. This is the historical trend and people's aspiration. The development of cross-Straits ties is facing golden opportunities. We should work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties. To reach the goal, we should strengthen the direct exchanges of people on both sides and enhance their mutual understanding."

Civil aviation and tourism authorities also hailed the weekend chartered flights arrangement and the opening of Taiwan tourism market to mainland residents.

Yang Guoqing, Deputy Director of Civil Aviation Administration of China said "Since 2003, the two sides have operated 854 chartered flights on important festivals and transported over 130-thousand Taiwan compatriots. As long as the two sides can maintain consultations on equal footing and keep expanding their consensus, we can benefit more. The weekend cross-Straits chartered flights and its extension in the future will inject new impetus into the civil aviation market on both sides, the Asia-Pacific region and even the world."

Shao Qiwei, Director of State Administration of Tourism said "Taiwan boasts rich tourism resources, in natural landscapes and cultural appeals. Taiwan also has more than 23 million hospitable compatriots. Mainland residents' travelling to Taiwan will build a new bridge of friendship across the Straits. With the support of people on both sides, the tour of mainland residents to Taiwan will be more convenient and enjoyable."

After the ceremony, Beijing's tourist group boarded flight CA-185. The flight is expected to take 4 and a half hours.

Under the agreements signed by the mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation on June 13th, 36 return flights have been arranged to operate the weekend cross-Straits chartered flights, from Friday to Monday.

Airlines on both sides equally share the operation. But such flights still have to fly through Hong Kong airspace. Initially, a maximum of 3,000 mainland tourists are allowed to enter Taiwan every day, in tour groups of 10 to 40 members. They can stay in Taiwan for a maximum of ten days.

Editor:Xiong Qu