China, Taiwan pursuing more direct flights

TAIPEI (Reuters) - China and Taiwan are negotiating new direct flight routes that could add up to six Chinese cities and cut travel times, padding out a landmark deal in June that has fallen short of expectations, an official said on Tuesday.

Under China-friendly Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, the two sides agreed in June to begin charter flights from Friday through Monday, allowing easier passage for Taiwan investors and tourists, who previously had to transit in Hong Kong or Macau.

But Taiwan-bound tourists have averaged in the low hundreds per day, short of the 3,000 that Ma suggested as a way to shore up the island's sputtering economy.

"The number of people hasn't reached what we expected," said Anthony Liao, standing supervisor with the Taipei Association of Travel Agents. "We don't have enough mainland China airports, so tourists who need to transfer find the routes inconvenient."

China and Taiwan are discussing direct flights to the Chinese cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guilin, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, local media said. Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and Xiamen are already open to Taiwan flights.

Officials are also negotiating new flight paths that could cut travel times, said Corinna Wei, spokeswoman for the island's Mainland Affairs Council. All direct flights must now detour through Hong Kong air space for security reasons.

"Our position is that we want to give travellers the most convenient routes possible," Wei said.

The negotiations precede a first-ever visit, expected this month or next, by top China negotiator Chen Yunlin to Taiwan. The two sides are set to discuss passenger and cargo flights.

China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists (KMT) fled to the island. Beijing has threatened to take Taiwan by force if necessary.