Taipei  - Taiwan's Transportation and Communication Minister Mao Chih-kuo Thursday revealed that the island would launch 18 weekend charter flights to China when the two rival sides start the operation in July.

"Initially, we plan to launch 18 weekend flights between Friday and Monday," he said after Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said in a news conference earlier on the day that there should be no problem for the two sides to begin weekend charter services in July.

Mao said China would also launch 18 reciprocal flights to the island.

Taiwan will open eight airports, including two airports in the offshore islets of Penghu and Kinmen, two international airports in Taoyuan outside Taipei and Kaohsiung in the south respectively, plus four domestic airports in northern, central and eastern Taiwan, he said.

Mao said the Chinese side will decide which other airports it plans to open for the cross-strait route in addition to the present four, opened for charter services during Chinese New Year and other major cross-strait holidays.

They are the airports in the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen.

Mao said civilian agencies of the two sides - which represent respective sides to talk in the absence of formal channels - are in the last stage of the talks on cross-strait flights and holiday visits to Taiwan by Chinese tourists.

"As soon as the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) reelects its board, it will represent the government in completing the talks and signing agreements with its mainland counterpart the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS)," he said.

SEF and ARATS were set up in early 1990s to represent their respective governments in talks, but this channel was suspended by China since 1999 when relations between the two sides turned sour due to what Beijing regarded as provocative moves by former Taiwanese leaders Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian to promote independence.

Taiwan and China have split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Beijing, however, still regards Taiwan as a part of China, and has threatened to attack if the island pursues formal independence.

Since then, Taipei has barred direct contact and links with China, and only permitted limited links, such as festival charter flights since early 2000. It has also barred visits by Chinese tourists directly coming from China and allowed only those coming via a third country.

Mao said he hopes the operation of the weekend charters and holiday visits by Chinese tourists can be made at the same time in July, which he said would help boost Taiwan's tourism.

Initially, Taiwan will allow 3,000 Chinese tourists to visit per day.

Ministry officials said under the plan, in addition to Chinese tourists and Taiwanese visitors, foreign nationals would be allowed to board the weekend charter flights to Taiwan.

Earlier on Thursday, Premier Liu said it looks set the two sides should be able to launch the weekend charter services and holiday visits by Chinese tourists in July - a timetable set by Taiwan's new president Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Nationalist Party or Kuomintang. (dpa)