Staff writer
Taiwan and China inaugurated direct daily air, shipping and postal links Monday after a nearly 60-year hiatus.
Regular transportation services ended in 1949, when the Kuomintang regime of President Chiang Kai-shek sought refuge on Taiwan following its defeat by Communist troops in China.
Monday's opening of the services was the result of four agreements signed in Taipei last Nov. 4 by Straits Exchange Foundation chairman P.K. Chiang and by his Chinese counterpart, Chen Yunlin of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.
In the air, direct charter flights began last July, but only on weekends and on a route taking most planes on a detour through Hong Kong's air traffic control zone.
TransAsia Airways had the honor of being the first to fly the new route from Taiwan, with flight GE 332 leaving Taipei's Sungshan Airport at 8:00 a.m. Monday for Shanghai.
At the same time, China Eastern Airlines flight CES 2075 left Shanghai for Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The two aircraft crossed each other at 8:47 a.m., air traffic control sources said.
However, the first flight to take off from China was Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH 9095 from Shenzhen near Hong Kong, which left at 7:20 a.m. The aircraft arrived at Taipei's Sungshan Airport at 8:41 a.m.
Taiwan's China Airlines sent an aircraft painted with pictures of Taiwanese fruit varieties for its debut flight to Hangzhou.
A total of 101 flights are expected to travel between Taiwan and China during the first week of service, but the airlines have come under fire for their relatively expensive ticket fares.
Taiwan government leaders chose the inauguration of direct shipping links to mark the historic launch of the new cross-straits services.
President Ma Ying-jeou traveled to Kaohsiung harbor Monday morning to celebrate the departure of the Uni-Adroit freighter for Tianjin near Beijing, where it is scheduled to arrive Thursday.
In his speech, Ma emphasized that the direct transportation links symbolized a new era in relations between Taiwan and China.
"The opening of direct air and shipping links means the two sides are no longer hostile toward each other and are willing to replace confrontation with dialogue, and conflict with reconciliation,"he said.
The ship left harbor at 10 a.m. loaded with the trademark green containers of its owner, Taiwan's Evergreen Group. After Tianjin, it will also pass by Dalian and Qingdao before returning to Taiwan.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan was present in Keelung for the sailing of four freighters owned by different companies to China.
The ships had to take down Taiwan's national flag after leaving harbor, said Mainland Affairs Council chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan.
One ship also left Taichung for Guangdong Province while China was opening up 63 ports to ships from Taiwan. At the same time, 16 Chinese ships were headed in the other direction, from China to the three Taiwanese harbors. Former Vice President Lien Chan was present at a ceremony in Tianjin with ARATS chairman Chen to see off the Cosco Oceania on its trip to Kaohsiung.
Apart from saving travel time, the new routes could also save Taiwanese shipping lines an estimate US$1.2 billion a year, transportation sources said.
The third new cross-straits service to start Monday was the direct mailing of packages. Instead of spending two to four days, some packages could now arrive the same day at slightly lower fees, Chunghwa Post said. Remitting money to China through the postal system is likely to start next February.
