EU pleased at Chinese mainland, Taiwan talks on new flight route

A spokesperson for Europe Union(EU) Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said here on Wednesday the EU was pleased that both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan had been in productive talks prior to the launch of new air routes across the Taiwan Strait.

Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic made the remarks when commenting on the new flight path over the Taiwan Strait, which can be used from March 5 over the Taiwan Strait.

"We welcome this further sign of practical cross-Strait cooperation, which shows relations between the two sides continue to be on the right track," she said.

The new flight path, namely the M503 flight route, was designed to relieve the pressure of increased flights around China's financial hub Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta in south China.

China's State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said that the route was designed in cooperation with the United States and other countries, and approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization.