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The Associated Press: Taiwan-China flight negotiations hit snag

Taiwan-China flight negotiations hit snag

By DEBBY WU (AP) – 19 hours ago

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s negotiations with China on new cross-strait flights hit a snag after Beijing refused to reopen talks on scheduling and destination arrangements for the island’s airlines, a senior Taiwanese official said Wednesday.

The statement by Deputy Transportation and Communications Minister Yeh Kuang-shih underscores the difficulties President Ma Ying-jeou faces in his efforts to improve ties with China.

Taiwan and China agreed in May to increase the number of weekly cross-strait flights from 270 to 370. Fourteen new Taiwanese flights have operated since mid-June traveling between Taipei and Shanghai.

However, Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration has said China is demanding that 20 new Taiwan flights land in Xiamen and Fuzhou on the mainland, where few Taiwanese visit, and that several take off from the island at midnight.

“We signed an agreement to include 20 new flights to Xiamen and Fuzhou. We thought we can adjust existing flights to cancel them out, but we did not write that into the pact,” Yeh told The Associated Press.

He said Beijing has refused Taiwan’s request to reopen negotiations, saying it can wait until October. Yeh said Taiwan is considering canceling some new Chinese flights to Taiwan if Beijing does not respond soon.

On Tuesday, China’s Civil Affairs Administration said in a statement Beijing made it clear at the May meeting that new Taiwanese flights may suffer from poor scheduling because of limits in Chinese airport capacity.

“Taiwan should not block new Chinese flights just because it does not like the arrangements in the agreement,” the administration said.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949 and Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory.

Since Ma took office two years ago, he has significantly improved China ties and facilitated direct, regular cross-strait transportation links. But China continues to point more than 1,300 missiles at Taiwan, despite Ma’s repeated appeal for Beijing to remove the military threat against Taiwan.

This is great news for Taiwanese hoping to travel to Europe. It makes sense for EU as well as this move will absolutely boost Taiwanese travel to Europe. And once this happens, the US will have little choice but to eventually follow suit if it hopes to continue attracting Taiwanese tourists. At present, it costs hundreds of dollars for someone in southern Taiwan to get a US travel visa due to the ridiculous requirement to go to Taipei, often requiring an overnight stay, for an interview that lasts all of two minutes.

Taipei Times – archives

Schengen visa waiver proposal moves forward

ONE STEP CLOSER: The European Parliament and European Council still must adopt the proposal before Taiwanese can visit the EU for up to 90 days visa-free

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2010, Page 3
The European Commission yesterday proposed to grant Taiwan Schengen visa waiver privileges, bringing the nation one step closer to the visa exemption.

Taiwanese will no longer be required to apply for a visa for visits to member countries of the EU for 90 days or less if the European Parliament and the European Council adopt the proposal, the commission said in a press release.

「Today』s proposal will enhance EU relations with Taiwan. It will contribute towards strengthening our trade and investment relations as well as people-to-people contacts,」 European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said in the release.

「The EU is Taiwan』s fourth-largest trading partner and its [No. 1] foreign direct investor. Easier travel conditions for Taiwanese businessmen would also facilitate Taiwanese investment in what is already the biggest single market in the world,」 she said.

Taiwan had been pushing for the EU to grant the privilege. However, on April 30, the Ministry of Justice』s execution of four death-row inmates added uncertainty as to whether the nation would see its wishes granted.

The European Parliament』s Subcommittee on Human Rights in early May voiced concerns over the execution, saying it could have a negative impact on the nation』s relations with the EU.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had downplayed the impact of the execution on Taiwan』s visa waiver request.

The commission said the decision to launch the proposal is based on the standard of security of travel documents Taiwan has to meet.

It said that Taiwan』s use of biometric passports since 2008 and improvement in visa issuance procedures had had a positive effect on the decision.

If the nation is granted the visa waiver, the nation should also reciprocate by granting European visitors visa-free treatment, including travelers from Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, the commission said.

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