This Nov 10, 2021 file photo shows Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, attends a press conference in Beijing, capital of China. Zhu, on behalf of Beijing, has urged Taiwan to further resume direct flights across the Taiwan Strait. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING – The Chinese mainland has urged Taiwan to further resume direct flights across the Taiwan Strait, according to a mainland spokesperson on Wednesday.
As the COVID-19 situations on the mainland and in Taiwan have both stabilized, it is opportune time to further resume the normal operations of the flights between the two sides, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, citing a correspondence from the mainland's aviation authorities to the Taiwan side.
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"We hope that Taiwan can work together with the mainland for the resumption of normal cross-Strait flights," she said, suggesting that the resumption of direct flights to 16 mainland destinations should be prioritized, including south China's city of Guangzhou, based on the requests of Taiwan compatriots.
"We hope Taiwan authorities will make pragmatic and continuous efforts to help resume the normal operations of direct cross-Strait flights, and deliver benefits to compatriots on both sides of the Strait," Zhu said.