Central gov't urges lifting of unreasonable restrictions on cross-Strait flights

China's central government has urged the authorities in its Taiwan region to lift unreasonable restrictions on flights across the Taiwan Strait to better meet the rising demand for cross-Strait travel.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, issued the request at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

"This summer, cross-Strait exchanges have continued to heat up. Mainland airlines have resumed four direct flights, a move welcomed by travelers. To better meet the demand from travelers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, relevant airlines have worked to resume operations of direct flights, increased capacity, diversified offerings, and upgraded transit services," Chen said.

"I would like to reaffirm our positive and clear attitude toward full resumption of direct air transport across the Strait. We hope Taiwan authorities will take the practical demand for direct flights seriously, remove unreasonable restrictions on cross-Strait air transport as soon as possible, and allow airlines on both sides of the Strait to arrange flights based on market demand independently," he said.

Central gov't urges lifting of unreasonable restrictions on cross-Strait flights

The Youyiguan Port, or Friendship Pass, in Pingxiang City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region neighboring Vietnam registered sharp growth in the value of imports and exports in the first half of this year.

The port, China's main gateway to Vietnam, recorded a total import and export cargo value of 364.12 billion yuan (about 53.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six months, up 26 percent year on year.

The trade with ASEAN member states dominated the port's performance, with the value of imports from and exports to ASEAN countries reaching 361.4 billion yuan in the January-June period, a 26.2 percent increase year on year, accounting for 99.3 percent of the port's total cross-border volume.

Machinery and electronic products remained the main categories of imports and exports through the port.

To facilitate economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN countries, the local customs authorities have introduced a series of measures to simplify the customs declaration and clearance procedures, raising the overall inspection efficiency by 40 percent.

South China's Friendship Pass registers sharp growth in value of imports, exports in January-June