Travel Deals on China and Taiwan Signed

China and Taiwan signed a historic travel agreement on the 2nd week of June. For the next months, thousands of people will be seen traveling between these two rival countries.

Negotiators talks to ease tensions and to establish regular direct flights between China and Taiwan from July, without stop-overs in Hong Kong. About 3,000 visitors to Taiwan will be allowed to visit every day, which will help boos the island’s economy. Under current rules only 1,000 are allowed to travel to the island and they must stop over in Hong Kong or another third location.

They are part of a rapprochement between China and Taiwan triggered by the election of the Kuomintang party’s Ma Ying-jeou as the island’s president in March. Ma Ying-jeou aimed to build closer trade and political ties with China, in contrast to his predecessor Chen Shui-bian.

The communist rulers of China have long insisted that Taiwan must be reunified with the mainland. The two countries’ relationship has been one of the world’s most dangerous potential military flashpoints. China stepped up its threats of using force against Taiwan and continued building up its stockpile of missiles and other military hardware targeted at the island.

With Ma’s victory, a decrease in the countries tension has been felt. Chinese President Hu Jintao met Kuomintang chief Wu Poh-hsiung in Beijing last month, which was the first meeting between the heads of the parties since Kuomintang forces retreated to the island in 1949 and the communists took power in Beijing.

In the signed agreement, direct flights between China and Taiwan will begin on July 4 and involve 36 services every week. According to China’s official Xinhua news agency, carriers from each side will operate 18 flights. Mainland Chinese tourists will have to travel in groups of between 10 and 40 and go through registered tour agencies, Xinhua reported.

The two semi-official bodies also agreed in their talks to set up bureaus on each others’ territories for the first time.