The Taiwan Strait shrank last week as China and Taiwan began the first regularly scheduled nonstop flights between them. The flights will boost the Taiwanese economy and facilitate ties between the island and the mainland. Most important, however, they will give ordinary citizens on both sides of the strait a better understanding of each other. This should help build better relations, draining tension from a regional flash point.
Up to now, flights between the mainland and Taiwan took an entire day as travelers were routed through a third port, such as Hong Kong, Macau or Tokyo. There were direct charter flights on limited occasions. With the election of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taiwan, both governments were eager to upgrade ties and enhance links. In June, the two governments agreed to permit 36 nonstop flights each weekend between Taiwan and five Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
The flights are part of a larger package that could thicken ties and better understanding between the two. There will be a large increase in the number of Chinese tourists allowed to go to Taiwan — as many as 3,000 a day. Significantly, most of these will be ordinary Chinese who have been unable to visit Taiwan and whose views of the island are bound to change: a dose of reality is the best cure for propaganda. Their tourist spending could bring as much as $1.7 billion to the island economy.