Taipei - The United States has expressed the wish that US airlines be allowed to join the up-coming Taiwan-China direct air link, but Taipei is not willing to let foreign airlines join the direct air link in the initial stage, according to a newspaper report Thursday.

Rupert Hammond, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, has made the request to Taiwan's trade representative Liang Kuo-hsin, hoping that when Taiwan opens a direct air link with China, US airlines can be allowed to fly across the Taiwan Strait, the Commercial Times said.

But Liang hinted that the direct air link would be cooperation between only two parties - Taiwan and China - and in the initial stage, foreign airlines' participation was unlikely.

The US was the first foreign country to request participation in Taiwan-China air link.

After banning a direct air link with China for five decades for national security reasons, incoming President Ma Ying-jeou from the pro-China party Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) has promised to launch weekend tourist charter flights to China starting July 4.

The weekend charters flight will be expanded to daily charter flight and then regular flights, with Taipei and Beijing granting each other the right to fly on to a foreign destination.

Ma expects his package of "opening up" measures - resuming dialogue with China, opening trade, launching direct air/sea links, opening the door to Chinese tourists - to kick off after he is inaugurated on May 20, with China's cooperation.

If everything goes as planned, China will welcome Taiwan's "opening up" measures because - Beijing hopes - they can ease tension and pave the way for Taiwan's unification with the mainland.

If Taiwan and China launch direct flights, dozens or hundreds of flights will be shuttling across the Taiwan Strait daily, creating a new golden air route in Asia.

Because of Taiwan's ban on direct air link, Taiwanese must now transit through a third port, usually Hong Kong, to go to China for family reunions, sightseeing and business.

Last year some 4 million Taiwanese visited China, mostly via Hong Kong, enough to fill 10,582 fights on a 378-seat B747-400 jumbo jet.

According to Ma's plan, Taiwan will use seven airports to launch direct flights to Chinese cities. Analysts expect these flights to be fully booked as Chinese tourists pour into Taiwan and Taiwan businessmen and tourists go the other way.

If Taipei and Beijing give the nod for the direct air link, it would only be a short time before regular flights start because the waters have been tested already.

Since 2003, Taiwan and China have launched holiday charter flights to bring home China-based Taiwan manufacturers for family reunions, and take them back to China after the holidays.

Six airlines from each side were allowed to operate these charter flights between two Taiwan airports and four Chinese airports. (dpa)