President Ma Ying-jeou attended ceremonies on the morning of September 8 marking the commencement of direct flights between Tainan City in southern Taiwan and Xiamen in southeast mainland China. The president expressed his hope that the joint efforts of the central and local governments, as well as the aviation and tourism industries, will bring greater business opportunities to the Tainan area and spur increased prosperity.
In remarks at the event, President Ma stated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait started direct flights just six weeks after he took office in May 2008. He noted that at the time he did not attend inaugural flight ceremonies held at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Songshan Airport in downtown Taipei, Taichung Airport or Kaohsiung International Airport. However, three years later, he has chosen to attend the ceremonies marking the maiden flight between Tainan and Xiamen. This, he said, demonstrates the importance that he places on development in the Tainan area.
President Ma remarked that as an island, Taiwan cannot be without an aviation industry. Domestic routes, however, have steadily declined since the opening of the high-speed rail. In addition, given the limited number of international flights to and from Taiwan, he long ago came to see that cross-strait flights are necessary for Taiwan to have a strong aviation industry, and they make life much more convenient for all travelers, therefore the commencement of direct cross-strait flights is in line with the wishes of the public.
The president noted that direct cross-strait flights commenced on July 4, 2008, with charter flights introduced on the weekends, followed by weekday charter flights and then regularly scheduled flights. The number of weekly flights originally was slightly over 100, but this number later increased to 370, and in October of this year the number of weekly flights will be expanded even further to 558, reflecting a gradual and orderly process. The public in Tainan had hoped to see direct flights from its airport to mainland Chinese cities immediately upon the opening of cross-strait flights, but various barriers had to be overcome, as sufficient passenger volume was needed to support the market. Airlines and travel agencies need to work together to resolve this problem, said the president, adding that the best way to ensure reasonably priced tickets is to rely on market forces, rather than using administrative measures to force down prices. He asked the Tainan public to understand the situation.
The president said Tainan not only features wonderful food, but more importantly has an impressive cultural heritage. Being able to see the link between Taiwan and mainland China is important to mainland tourists, the president said, pointing out the development promoted in Taiwan by Shen Pao-chen (沈葆禎, 1820-1879), a Chinese official during the Qing (1644-1911 ) dynasty. The president remarked that he would be pleased to be the spokesman in the future for Tainan's tourism industry, further expressing his hope that Tainan will make a name for itself on the tourism map in Taiwan.
President Ma stated that as a special municipality, Tainan must have a seaport, an airport, industry, and agriculture. In addition, systems and physical infrastructure must be built up so that the city can grow bigger. While the area's population is still somewhat insufficient, urban development can still undoubtedly be achieved with insightful management, he said. The president mentioned the construction of the Yoichi Hatta Memorial Park, which was recently completed, as an example. After the park was finished, a number of high schools from Kanazawa City in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, which was Mr. Hatta's hometown, arranged for students to travel to Tainan on their graduation trips. This constitutes a large source of visitors for the park, and helps to bridge the distance between Tainan and the rest of the world, the president said.
President Ma commented that according to statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the number of flights from Taichung Airport now exceeds the number of flights from Taipei's Songshan Airport. The reason for this, he said, is that Taichung has inked sister city arrangements with towns in mainland China and other countries, and has heavily marketed the city in these places. These efforts have indirectly promoted tourism. President Ma stated that Taiwan has wonderful food, beautiful scenery, and good people. The locals here are hospitable, enthusiastic, and good-natured. Tainan, he commented, should aggressively develop characteristics unique to its area so as to attract even greater numbers of tourists.
President Ma also mentioned that the government embraces the principle of "putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people" in promoting a variety of policies. After the "three links" were commenced with mainland China — i.e. direct postal, transportation, and trade links — the importance of the "mini three links" was not diminished. Rather, the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu continue to see thriving growth, which he is delighted to see.