China’s Quasi-Official Body Chief Scheduled to Visit Taiwan in November

Text of report by Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao website on 18 August; subheadings as received

[Unattributed report: "Mainland ARATS President Chen Yunlin Is Scheduled To Visit Taiwan in November To Discuss Aviation Rights"]

Through recent cross-Strait connections, it has been decided that Chen Yunlin, president of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits [ARATS] will visit Taiwan in November. After the end of the Beijing Olympics this month, vice-presidents of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation [SEF] and ARATS will start negotiations to discuss aviation rights and other follow-up issues and reach a consensus on these, so that SEF President Chiang Ping-kun and ARATS President Chen Yunlin will be able to smoothly sign an agreement during the second “Chiang-Chen talks.”

SEF Secretary General and Vice-President Kao Kung-lien, when interviewed by reporters on 14 August, said that currently Beijing leaders are busy with the Olympics, so SEF and ARATS will have at least to wait until the end of August when the Olympics is over before they can start negotiations on Chen Yunlin’s visit to Taiwan and the issues to be discussed after his arrival in Taiwan.

Hopefully, Aviation Rights Can Be Discussed

“We are waiting for a response from across the Strait.”

Kao Kung-lien pointed out: As many issues need to be discussed by both sides of the Strait, the discussions will take one to two months, according to previous experience. Therefore, in terms of schedule, Chen Yunlin will be able to visit Taiwan in November at the earliest. On whether the talks will involve aviation rights, Kao Kung-lien said earlier that China also had the intention to discuss the issue, but it might take some time. There is one point that we need to consider, namely, we will help airline corporations save time and costs.

A report by the Taiwan Commercial Times said that apart from the subjects on the expansion of chartered direct flights, chartered cargo flights, and direct shipping, which will be discussed in accordance with the Minutes of Talks on Cross-Strait Chartered Flights, at the request of people in aviation circles, the talks will also include negotiations on the first and fifth aviation rights.

An informed source disclosed that people in Taiwan aviation circles hope the next round of talks will include negotiations with China on aviation rights, so that Taiwan airline corporations’ aircraft will be able to land in some China’s cities for transit to a third destination. This will save the costs and attract passengers. But the informed source stressed that “it is not easy to discuss aviation rights, because the issue involves both sides’ interests. It is believed that mainland airline corporations will also propose the same requests. As the aviation business is currently amid depression, negotiations are sure to take time.” But as reported, both sides of the Strait already share a consensus to at least touch on this issue at the next round of talks. Both sides will first determine the direction for future discussions.

Taiwan Aviation Circles Even Hope for Daily Chartered Flights

Someone in the aviation business who refused to be indentified pointed out that the first request from aviation circles is to change weekend chartered flights to daily chartered flights so that airline corporations will be able to apply for chartered flights every day, from Monday to Sunday. Furthermore, he hoped that people in aviation circles will be allowed to sit at the negotiating table to facilitate technical discussions, such as discussions on aviation rights. This will speed up the process of direct flights.

Originally published by Ta Kung Pao website, Hong Kong, in Chinese 18 Aug 08.

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