China has authorized 16 airlines to operate regular direct flights to Taiwan, a sign that the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to the island is unlikely to spoil warming ties.
Direct flights between mainland China and self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province, have become increasingly frequent since the first one in 2005. But they were still technically considered charter flights.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China on Friday said that starting on Monday, 270 direct flights will take place along 32 regular flight routes.
In April this year, China and Taiwan signed agreements to begin regular flights and boost cooperation in finance and criminal investigation.
Beijing on Thursday decried a planned visit by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader it brands a separatist, to Taiwan next week, but it directed its ire at Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party in a sign that it wanted to avoid harming ties with the ruling Nationalist or Kuomintang (KMT) party [ID:nPEK127081].