Taiwan to scrutinise China's 'impractical' cross-strait flight plan

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is reviewing China's proposal to resume cross-strait flights to five cities. However, officials are skeptical, citing low commercial interest from airlines and concerns over the plan's practicality and intent.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has acknowledged receiving a formal communication from China proposing the resumption of cross-strait flights from five mainland cities, but officials say the plan will undergo scrutiny amid concerns over its practicality and intent, as reported by The Taipei Times.

According to The Taipei Times, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh said the letter arrived last week while Cheng Li-wun, head of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), was visiting China. China's proposal calls for reinstating direct flights to Urumqi, Xian, Harbin, Kunming, and Lanzhou, destinations included in a broader package of "incentive measures" targeting Taiwan.

Aviation Sector Skeptical Over Commercial Viability

However, Liang indicated that Taiwan's aviation sector has shown little enthusiasm for these routes. Airlines are wary of the commercial viability of such services, primarily because China continues to restrict residents from these cities from travelling to Taiwan. This would leave return flights largely empty, undermining profitability.

As Liang pointed out, carriers are unlikely to commit to new routes without assurance that a reasonable portion of seats will be filled on both legs of the journey. These cities are not major travel hubs for Taiwanese passengers, who can already reach them conveniently via connecting flights.

Cost comparisons further weaken Beijing's case. Direct flights from Taipei to Xian are significantly more expensive than indirect routes via cities like Shanghai, making them less attractive to travellers.

Meanwhile, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee reiterated that Taiwan supports stable and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but emphasised that demand for such routes remains limited. Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai added that existing cross-strait flight capacity is already underutilised, with only about three-quarters of scheduled services currently operating, as highlighted by The Taipei Times.

Broader Criticism of Beijing's 'Calculated Tactics'

Beyond aviation, Taiwan has also criticised Beijing's broader policy pattern. Liang described China's latest move to ease restrictions on Taiwanese fishing vessels as a calculated tactic, first imposing opaque regulatory hurdles, then presenting partial rollbacks as "concessions."

Earlier rules had blocked many vessels from unloading catches at Chinese ports, forcing costly workarounds. The so-called new policy merely loosens those earlier constraints rather than introducing meaningful reforms, as reported by The Taipei Times. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)