The Taiwanese government on Thursday said it had agreed to resume more direct flights to China that were stopped after the coronavirus pandemic. It said this was part of a bid to foster "healthy and orderly exchanges" with Beijing amid continued tension in the region. 

Taiwan currently allows air access to only four cities in China, namely Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Xiamen.

Prior to the pandemic, however, there were more direct flights to multiple Chinese cities from Taiwan.

Flights to improve 'cooperative interactions'

Taipei's Mainland Affairs Council has approved regular flights for 10 more cities, including the economic hubs of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Nanjing. Charter flights are also to be resumed for 13 Chinese cities.

The latest plan will incorporate 209 flights per week between the two countries. Of those, 99 flights will originate from China, and 110 from Taiwan.

Taiwanese health officials also said that covid testing would not be required at present for passengers arriving in Taiwan from China. 

Chan Chih-hung, an official from the Council, told reporters that the move demonstrated Taiwan's "most sincere goodwill."

"We also hope to build on the foundation of these resumed flights to gradually increase the exchange of goodwill gestures and cooperative interactions by both sides," he said.

'Strained relations'

From 1949 to 2002, no direct flights were in place between Taiwan and China. Passengers had to transit through Hong Kong or Macau.

In 2003, the two began charter flights, after which regular direct flights were introduced in 2009.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in 2020, flights were again disrupted.

Taipei's government has been attempting to resume its interactions with Beijing after they lifted the strict quarantine regulations last year. The island's president Tsai Ing-wen said she hoped that the efforts would help improve China-Taiwan relations.

However, since China considers Taiwan as part of its own territory, Beijing does not hold formal diplomatic relations with Taipei.

aa/msh (dpa, Reuters)