Participants to the Cross-straits Economic and Trade Forum discuss direct flights across the Taiwan Straits, April 15, 2006.

    BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Participants attending the Cross-straits Economic and Trade Forum here on Saturday pressed for direct flights across the Taiwan Straits.

    The call was made in a Joint Proposal at the end of the two-day forum by all the delegates from China's mainland and Taiwan.

    They pledged to make joint efforts to push forward the issue, making it more convenient for the current cross-strait chartered flights and ensuring these flights to be carried out during festivals and weekends and on a regular base.

    Non-governmental aviation associations of the two sides should hold talks on the issue of aerial routes as early as possible, so as to set up more convenient routes for direct flights across the straits, according to the Joint Proposal.

    The two sides are urged to follow the example of "Macao Talks" which found resolutions for the 2005 Spring Festival chartered passenger flights.

    At the opening of the forum, KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan, head of a KMT delegation, told the audience that it took him eightand a half hours to fly from Taibei to Beijing.

    In addition, the participants also called for further expanding direct cargo shipping between Fujian and Taiwan provinces.

    They urged the Taiwan Authorities to allow farm products to bedirectly shipped to the mainland from Taiwan ports like Kaohsiung,in order to reduce cost and loss. The mainland opened its market to Taiwan farmers last year. Enditem