China and Taiwan Begin Direct Flights

The first direct flights between Taiwan and China for six decades will take off tomorrow morning in the most visible move to date towards closer ties.

Chilly relations between the two sides have thawed since Ma Ying-jeou became president in Taipei this spring. His KMT party campaigned on a platform of revitalising the sluggish economy via renewed links with the mainland.

There have been no regular cross-straits flights - aside from a handful of holiday charters - since 1949, when defeated nationalist forces fled to Taiwan at the end of the civil war.

The island hopes to benefit from tourism and closer economic relations with the economic powerhouse next door. It hopes the weekend flights will be extended through the week and aims to attract 1 million Chinese tourists annually - compared with only 80,000 last year. It had previously restricted mainland visitors, seeing them as a security risk.

About 4 million Taiwanese visit the mainland annually - travelling via Hong Kong and Macau, as do business people - and 1 million live there.

Taiwan businesses have poured an estimated ?50bn into the mainland. Negotiators for Beijing and Taipei agreed to weekend charter flights, trips for Chinese tourists and other measures last month.

Taipei is allowing its banks to change Chinese currency and will relax restrictions on mutual funds investing in Chinese stocks.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which has 23 million inhabitants, and has in the past threatened military action if Taipei formalizes its longstanding de facto independence.

The two governments resumed formal talks following Ma's election, ending a silence of almost a decade under the former president, Chen Shui-bian.

Taiwan's premier, Liu Chao-shiuan, stressed yesterday that the two countries were mostly discussing economic matters and political issues were not on the agenda.

"Charter flights are not about [political integration]," Liu said. "They are about better transportation, business and tourism links."

Amid concerns about a possible culture clash - despite a shared language and history - Chinese tourism officials have ordered travel agents to brief tourists before departure on Taiwanese customs and the island's "basic situation".

Liu added today: "The mainlanders will be our guests. I hope we can work together to impress them with the Taiwanese people's good nature, politeness, passion and hospitality."

Members of Falun Gong, the spiritual group outlawed as an "evil cult" in China, have said they will increase their presence at tourist sites in the hope of winning over mainlanders. But Taiwanese officials have said they will intervene to stop anti-communist activists from making protests directed at visitors.

"If the mainlanders have any grievances or are involved in any disputes, we will have an emergency task force to deal with them," said HauLung-bin, the Taipei mayor.

More than 600 Chinese tourists are due to arrive tomorrow on week-long package tours, along with business people and other travelers. Thirty-six routes will operate from Monday to Friday between Taipei and major mainland cities.