Direct Flights Take Off

Abstract

The first direct flights between China and Taiwan since the end of the civil war in 1949 took place in early 2005. These were intended to facilitate travel by Taiwanese businessmen and their families in China for the Lunar New Year celebrations back home. Following the Taiwan–Hong Kong Aviation Agreement of 2002 and the charter flights of 2003, no flights took place in 2004 owing to political compulsions such as Chen Shuibian's call for a referendum on Chinese missiles and his subsequent reelection campaign. In 2005, the opposition KMT in Taiwan, by virtue of its strong electoral showing in December 2004 developed its own stake in the negotiations and was able to set up an alternate channel for talks with authorities in Beijing. Meanwhile, the nature of negotiations between China and Taiwan on cross-straits flights continues to be disputed, with China insisting on the domestic nature of the negotiations and subsequent agreements whereas Taiwan has consistently described them as having elements of international negotiations. The issue, while resulting in further political polarisation on the island, has also given Beijing increasing clout in Taiwanese domestic politics.