Taiwanese carriers begin flights directly over Chinese territory

A Paris-bound EVA Airways flight departed from Taipei and proceeded to enter Chinese airspace the night of Sept. 4, making it one of the first Taiwanese commercial airliners to fly over China in 56 years.

A ban imposed by the ROC government on direct transport exchanges with China had been in place since 1949. Due to this ban--necessitated by security concerns--all flights from Taiwan had to take roundabout routes to bypass Chinese airspace when flying to destinations in Europe and parts of Asia.

The ROC premier lifted the ban Aug. 3, allowing Taiwanese airlines to apply for permission to fly over China. The legal procedures airlines have to follow in filing applications were announced Aug. 15, and so far four domestic airlines--China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Airways and Uni Airways--have been granted permission.

After receiving approval from the ROC government, the four airlines applied to Beijing's civil aviation administration, which granted them permission Sept. 2 to fly over Chinese territory. The permission applies to passenger and cargo flights out of Taipei and the southern city of Kaohsiung.

In response to China's swift processing of the applications, You Ying-lung, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), announced Sept. 2 that "the government welcomed the approval of the Chinese government" and said he hoped that future negotiations between Taiwan and China would proceed as smoothly as they have this time.

Now that Taiwan has lifted its flyover ban, local airlines are expected to enjoy considerable savings in terms of flying time and fuel costs. Recent sharp hikes in fuel prices have been credited as the impetus for the move, as operating such roundabout routes was costing local carriers a fortune in jet fuel. Local airlines also believe that cutting down on flight times will help them compete against airlines from other countries.

There has been widespread speculation that the lifting of the ban will lead to the inception of direct flights between Taiwan and China. The MAC has denied any such plans, saying no details about any further opening-up of direct charter flights have been determined, and that complicated problems still remain concerning the issue of direct flights. These problems can only be solved through bilateral negotiations, insisted the MAC.

Taiwanese business and industrial interests have long urged the government to allow direct cross-strait flights. Not only would it cut costs for the hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese businesses with investments and operations in China, but it would make life that much easier for the estimated 1 million ROC citizens now living and working on the mainland.

So far, the government has been cool to the idea of a wholesale lifting of the ban, but many proponents of the Three Links, including Kuo Tai-chiang, the chairman of Taiwan's Council for Industrial and Commercial Development, believe a more immediate goal is attainable. He wants the government to OK direct charter flights for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival in mid-September, as was the case during this year's Lunar New Year holiday in January and February.

MAC Chairman Joseph Wu commented that there is little chance for the latter request to be realized, although he has promised to push for talks with China on the opening up of direct non-stop passenger, cargo and special-purpose charter flights.

Director of MAC's Economic Affairs Department, Fu Don-cheng, expressed hope that the MAC could play a more active role in future bilateral talks. He said Aug. 16, "If the MAC is allowed to become more involved in the upcoming bilateral negotiations, we should be able to discuss the issues in more depth." According to the MAC, the government has asked members of the Taipei Airline Association to negotiate a charter-flight deal with their Chinese counterparts. Premier Frank Hsieh said he was optimistic that the talks proposed by Taipei on both cargo and passenger flights would see results soon.

Although there have been concerns about whether Taiwan's approval of overflights would prompt China to seek a reciprocal arrangement, Hsieh told the Central News Agency Aug. 4 that Taiwan would not grant Chinese aircraft the right to overfly the island unless China is willing to sign a peace treaty with Taiwan.

The premier explained that, because China has hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan and its government has repeatedly threatened to take over the island by force, "overflights of our airspace by mainland Chinese aircraft naturally pose a threat, and this is not permissible."