Chinese mainland, Taiwan start direct transport services

Source: Xinhua | 12-15-2008 08:34

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan started direct air, sea transport and postal services on Monday morning, the latest step to further improve the once strained ties.

Passengers from southeast China's Taiwan gesture before  boarding the plane at the airport in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 15, 2008. A Shenzhen Airlines flight took off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taiwan at 7:20 Beijing  Time (2320 GMT Dec. 14), the first when the Chinese mainland  and Taiwan started direct air and sea transport and postal  services Monday morning.(Xinhua Photo)

The move marks an end to the practice that air and sea transport as well as mail between the mainland and Taiwan had to go through a third place.

At 7:20 a.m., a mainland-based Shenzhen Airlines flight took off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taiwan. Forty minutes later, another mainland flight left Shanghai for the island.

Direct shipping transport and postal services across the Taiwan strait also started Monday.