FACTBOX-Taiwan, China launch new direct links

Dec 15 (Reuters) - China and Taiwan launched daily flights, new shipping routes and postal links on Monday in a further thaw of once icy relations between the two rivals.

The shipping links resumed after a six-decade hiatus when a vessel bound for Taiwan left in the morning from the Chinese port of Tianjin, and one bound for China left from Kaohsiung.

Launch of the new links comes after Taiwan and China signed a series of landmark agreements last month.

The deals aim to increase trade and tourism between the longtime political rivals.
Following are details of the agreements .

-- Daily direct China-Taiwan charter flights, up from Friday through Monday now and totalling 108 per week, to smooth passage for Taiwan investors in China and bring in more Taiwan-bound Chinese tourists.

-- New, shorter direct Taiwan-China flight paths to save time. Existing direct flights must detour through Hong Kong airspace for security reasons.

-- Sixteen new Chinese airports, in addition to the current five, that can accept direct flights to or from Taiwan.

-- Sixty direct cargo flights per month between Taiwan and China, cutting out third countries or regions per the current practice mandated due to sovereignty concerns.

-- A launch of direct sea cargo routes between 11 Taiwan ports and 63 China destinations, sparing costly detours, required due to sovereignty concerns, for Taiwan investors.

-- An introduction of direct postal links between five Taiwan postal centres and eight China postal centres, reducing delivery time from the current seven to 10 days by sidestepping third countries.

-- A framework to handle food safety issues by quickly notifying, removing and investigating tainted products, in light of China's contaminated milk powder scandal that has prompted product recalls around the world, including in Taiwan.