TAIPEI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Negotiators for China and Taiwan signed agreements on Tuesday tripling the amount of direct cross-strait charter flights to 108 per week, shortening air routes and opening dozens of seaports for direct cargo links.
The deals effectively shelve sovereignty issues that have blocked these links for six decades amid political tension, forcing costly diversions through other countries or regions.
The agreements mean there can be direct flights seven days a week, compared with four days in another landmark agreement signed earlier this year. They will let direct cargo shipments pass between 11 Taiwan seaports and 63 in China, tax free. They also allow 60 cargo flights per month and establish a mechanism for ensuring food safety.
China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Beijing has vowed to bring the island back under mainland rule, by force if necessary.
(Reporting by Ralph Jennings and Lin Miao-jung; Editing by Nick Macfie)