Direct flights between Taiwan, China to begin soon

Taipei (ANTARA News/CNA) - President Ma Ying-jeou announced Thursday that Tainan Airport in southern Taiwan will become the ninth in the country to accommodate direct flights to and from China, starting this summer.

The service will begin with charter flights, Ma said at a news conference held at the National University of Tainan to mark his third year in office.

The president said the initiative will help boost the number of Chinese tourists to Tainan, the fifth largest city in the country and one of its major cultural areas.

At the press conference, Ma also listed several current and future policies that he said will benefit southern Taiwan.

The government has invested or plans to invest a total of NT$744.7 billion (US$25.8 billion) in construction projects in

southern Taiwan, the president said.

That includes an investment of NT$232.6 (US$8.06 billion) in projects such as an underground railway and creative cultural park in Tainan City, and a NT$263.2 billion (US$9.12 billion) project to make Kaohsiung an international multi-purpose port and a major industrial city, Ma said.

He estimated that the Kaohsiung project would generate 170,000 new jobs.

"I hope to revitalize the economy in the south and to push for the prosperous development of the entire region," the president said.

He also said that the government has invested NT$50 billion in reservoir management to stabilize water supply in the south.

He called for partnerships between the central and local governments as part of his administration`s aim to achieve balanced regional development.