Mainland passengers can soon have transit stops in Taiwan. (Photo : REUTERS)
Chinese mainland authorities are considering to allow transit stops in Taiwan, permitting its citizens to travel on from the island for the first time.
Citing a statement from China's Taiwan Affairs Office website, China Daily reported that passengers departing from three Chinese cities--Nanchang, Kunming and Chongqing--will be allowed to have flight transfer via Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport.
The statement also noted that no additional documents will be be required for the traveling mainland residents except the usual ones, such as passports, air tickets and boarding passes.
After preparatory works are done between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the island's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), the flight transfer service will be rolled out.
Additionally, the mainland authorities pointed out that the passengers in transit will not be allowed to leave the airport.
Until this decision, mainland citizens were not allowed to have transit stops in Taiwan, though they can travel to the island. Airlines from both areas have operations between the mainland and Taiwan.
Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou, through an official statement, said he appreciated the plan. EVA Airways, the island's second-biggest airline, also welcomed it.
"It's a joint effort by governments across the strait. We're happy to see it happening." KW Nieh, a senior vice president at EVA Airways, told Reuters.
The airline executive also expressed his optimism that other cities will also follow what the mainland authorities are proposing. "We hope more cities will be added to really implement it," the SVP said.
The news comes ahead of Taiwan's election for president on Jan. 16. Currently, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), which is considered to be more "China-friendly," has been lagging behind the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in surveys.
According to DPP lawmaker Chen Chi-mai, the move will surely "give the KMT a boost in the elections."
