China to accept airspace requests from Taiwan

BEIJING - China, which regards neighbouring Taiwan as its own, is to accept applications from the island's airlines to use mainland airspace, state media said on Thursday, the latest sign of easing tensions between the two sides.

Taiwan Premier Frank Hsieh said earlier this month airlines could seek permission from China to use its airspace to reduce flying time and cut soaring fuel costs.

China would process such applications as soon as possible, Pu Zhaozhou, director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, told the official China Daily.

"It will take some time but related work will be completed very soon," the newspaper quoted Pu as saying.

China has considered Taiwan part of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and has vowed to bring it back to the fold, by force if necessary.

It has refused to deal with Taiwan's independence-leaning President Chen Shui-bian, but has offered a series of economic sweeteners, in a bit to isolate Chen, after landmark visits by Taiwan opposition leaders earlier this year.

Taiwan businesses have also clamoured for Taipei to allow full air and shipping links to China to cut transportation costs. Currently, travellers and cargo must go through Hong Kong or a third country.

Taiwan has so far banned its carriers from flying over mainland China due to security concerns. But Taiwan's China Airlines and EVA Airways were permitted to fly through Chinese airspace during the US-Iraq war in 2003.

Pu explained that some technical problems, most of which concerned the flight routes applied for, had to be solved through talks between civil aviation experts from the two sides before approval was granted, the China Daily said.

China and Taiwan exchanged special non-stop charter flights for the first time in over five decades during the Lunar New Year Festival in January and February. Pu was China's chief negotiator in talks leading up to those flights.

Taiwan's renewed calls earlier this month for talks to start more regular direct passenger and cargo charter flights between the two sides also received a positive reaction from Beijing.

- REUTERS