FACTBOX: Agenda for June 12-13 Taiwan-China talks

Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:33am EDT
 
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(Reuters) - Negotiators from China and Taiwan met on Thursday for the first time in nine years to try to seal a deal on direct weekend flights and increased tourism.

Taiwan's top China negotiator, P.K. Chiang, is leading a team to Beijing for the June 12-13 talks to negotiate with his counterpart, Chen Yunlin, following recent warm but informal meetings between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Taiwan ruling party leaders.

Following are details, released by Taiwan officials and reported by local media, of the proposed agreement:

* Regular, direct China-Taiwan chartered flights every weekend from early July, about 36 round trips per weekend.

-- Flights would not stop, but fly through the air space of Hong Kong or other regions for security purposes.

-- Six airlines from each side would fly the routes between Taiwan airports in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung and Chinese airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen. Additional airports could emerge from the talks or be added later.

-- Flights would be open to Taiwan citizens and eligible Chinese tourists at first, but not to foreigners.

-- Direct charter flights operate now only four times a year, during holiday seasons, causing time-consuming and sometimes expensive stopovers in Hong Kong or Macau at other times.

* Regular Chinese tourist visits to Taiwan.

-- Taiwan has proposed that 3,000 tourists from China visit per day initially, via the weekend charter flights, and that 10,000 come per day after four years, but China has indicated it would not let that many travel at first.

-- Tourist groups would stay in Taiwan for up to 10 days.

-- Travel itineraries would not be restricted, despite security and visa overstay concerns, but travel agents would be held responsible for any missing travelers.

-- Only a handful of Chinese tourists can visit Taiwan at present due to icy political ties, but the island's moribund service sector has pushed the government to let in more of China's increasingly well-off travelers.

(Compiled by Ralph Jennings; Editing by Alex Richardson)

 

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