Taiwan says no plans for military meeting with Chinese in Hawaii

August 31st, 2009 TAIPEI/BEIJING - Taiwan and China launched regular direct flights Monday, ending Taipei's six-decade ban on air links with the mainland imposed at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Taiwan and Chinese airlines will operate a total of 270 round-trip flights per week, up from the current 108 charter flights.

August 20th, 2009 China slams US for violating 'national interests'BEIJING — A top Chinese general criticized the U.S. on Thursday for selling arms to Taiwan and accused Washington of only being cooperative when it needs help with international campaigns.

July 16th, 2009 TAIPEI, Taiwan — The 100-strong Chinese delegation boycotted the opening ceremony of the World Games in Taiwan on Thursday, underscoring the limits of the historic breakthrough in relations between Taipei and Beijing. The Chinese gesture is likely to ruffle feathers on this democratic island of 23 million people, which under President Ma Ying-jeou has moved aggressively to improve ties with the mainland, its once-bitter enemy.

June 23rd, 2009 BEIJING - Chinese and US military officials will seek ways to cooperate on various issues, including maritime disputes and nuclear disarmament, when they meet for the 10th Defense Consultative Talks (DCT) here on Tuesday. "There are many areas for cooperation, despite disagreements.

May 31st, 2009 China sends large group to buy Taiwanese goodsTAIPEI, Taiwan — A group of Chinese computer and home appliance manufacturers arrived Sunday with plans to buy billions of dollars worth of goods and components from Taiwan, officials and news reports said. Officials from 46 Chinese companies, including big manufacturers such as Lenovo and Haier, have joined the buy-Taiwan group, group leader Li Shuilin said.

April 27th, 2009 Freighter rams wooden ship off Taiwan, 11 rescuedHONOLULU — Relatives of Hawaii-based crew members of a 54-foot wooden Chinese ship say a freighter rammed and sunk the ship off the coast of Taiwan and that 11 crew members were rescued. Relatives said crew members clung to floating wreckage for five hours Saturday in a storm 20 to 30 miles offshore from Taiwan before they were picked up.

April 27th, 2009 Freighter sinks replica sailing ship off TaiwanHONOLULU — A replica of a Ming Dynasty Chinese sailing ship sank off the coast of Taiwan after it was rammed by a freighter, but its sailors were rescued, relatives of Hawaii-based crew members said Monday. The 54-foot Princess TaiPing, a replica of a Chinese junk built in Taiwan, was on the return leg of a trip that had taken it to ports on the U.S.

April 24th, 2009 2 China tourists killed by falling crane in TaiwanTAIPEI, Taiwan — The Taipei mayor says a falling crane from a high-rise building under construction has crushed a bus in Taiwan's capital. He says two Chinese tourists have been killed and three others seriously injured.

April 19th, 2009 Taiwan receives 3,000 Chinese tourists per dayTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has reached its goal of hosting 3,000 Chinese tourists a day as ties between the two rivals continue to strengthen, the government said Sunday. Chinese tourist arrivals averaged 3,013 people per day so far this month, compared with the daily average of 580 over the past eight months, the Immigration Agency said on its Web site.

April 15th, 2009 BEIJING - In a bid to improve cross-Straits relations, China's mainland negotiator Chen Yunlin and his Taiwan counterpart Chiang Pin-kung are planning to hold a new round of talks in April or May. "The talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) will focus on joint efforts to crack down on crime, regular cross-Straits flights, financial cooperation and judiciary assistance," State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Li Weiyi said at a press conference.

March 26th, 2009 BEIJING - China has expressed strong dissatisfaction over a US Congress resolution to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, saying it is an interference in its internal affairs. 'China is strongly dissatisfied and has lodged a solemn representation over the resolution adopted to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement Wednesday.

March 13th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan is opposed to China's plan to extend its national railway network to Taipei, calling it unnecessary, according to a newspaper report Friday. According to the Taipei Times, both the Presidential Office and the Mainland Affairs Council have called China's plan unnecessary from both economic and political perspectives.

February 5th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan plans to launch regular flights to China in the first half of 2009, an official said Friday. Lee Wen-lung, director of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), told Broadcasting Corp of China that 'authorities' have instructed CAA to achieve normalization of air flights across the Taiwan Strait before summer.

January 15th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan and China are expected to launch regular passenger and cargo flights in July, ending Taipei's six-decade ban on cross-strait air links with the mainland, a newspaper said Friday. The Commercial Times, quoting an unnamed official, said Taipei and Beijing plan to hold talks in late May to discuss opening regular flights and sign a pact.

December 30th, 2008 BEIJING - China Wednesday commemorated the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message to Compatriots in Taiwan that ended its military confrontation with Taipei. In the message, 30 years ago, China proposed to end the military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait through dialog and welcomed exchanges between the two sides.