A Chinese mainland official said Wednesday (Jan 26th) that the successful arrangement for charter flights during the coming Spring Festival did not mean the resumption of talks cross the Taiwan Straits.

Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council, or China's cabinet, said at a regular press conference that the arrangement was only a practical one to meet the needs of Taiwan business people who work in the Chinese mainland and want to spend the festival at home.

There was no ready-made model to follow during the future festivals, he added.

"We will consider some practical arrangements in line with the interests of the people cross the Taiwan Straits," Li said.

It depended on the demand of Taiwan compatriots whether similar charter flights would be launched in future traditional festivals or whether the mainland would promote charter freight flights across the Straits, he said.

He stressed that the charter flights were designed only to facilitate Taiwan compatriots to go back home for the Spring Festival.

The mainland and Taiwan civil aviation professionals reached a consensus earlier this month on launching non-stop charter flights across the Straits for Taiwan business people working on the mainland to return home for the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Each side will have six airlines to operate 24 non-stop round-trip flights over Hong Kong, beginning this weekend.

In 2003, Taiwanese civil aviation airplanes were for the first time since 1949 allowed to fly to the mainland. However, due to restrictions from the Taiwan authorities, the flights had to make stopovers in Hong Kong or Macao on their way to Shanghai or returning trips, and no airlines from the mainland were involved.

Editor: Wing