China-Taiwan flight makes history

BEIJING, July 4 (UPI) -- The inaugural cross-Taiwan Strait charter flight from mainland China to Taiwan made history when it landed at at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Friday.

More than 100 mainland tourists were on board the first flight allowed to Taiwan that departed from Guangzhou, capital of China's Guangdon province, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported.

Another four chartered flights also took off Friday from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Xiamen. A total of 760 mainland tourists traveled to Taiwan on a 10-day sightseeing trip, Xinhua said.

The flights marked a new phase in the history of cross-Strait exchanges, said Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office for China's Communist Party and the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office. The venture enhances development opportunities and provides an chance to increase understanding of people living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said.