PRC, Taiwan reach agreements on flights, tourism

The People’s Republic of China and Taiwan have reached agreements for regular non-stop charter flights, bilateral tourism and plans for future talks, the Financial Times reported. The agreements came out of the first official meeting between mainland and Taiwan representatives in a decade, following the election of Ma Ying-jeou as Taiwan’s president last month. Under the agreement, a long-standing ban on direct flights across the Taiwan Strait has been lifted, and 3,000 mainland tourists will be allowed to visit the island every day starting in mid-July. Taiwan’s parliament has also passed leglislation allowing the conversion of renminbi in Taiwan. The next round of talks will be held in Taiwan, though no date has been set.