Singapore’s Foreign Minister has urged China to restore flight connections between the regions to pre-COVID levels, aiming for up to 400 flights per week.
According to reports, currently there are only 56 weekly flights between Singapore and China, despite China having removed the majority of its entry restrictions, including the elimination of quarantine requirements. However, China has yet to resume the issuance of tourist visas.
The Straits Times notes that both China’s and Singapore’s foreign ministers met on Monday with the priority goal of increasing flight frequency and boosting travel between the regions.
One sticking point remains, the 15-day visa-free policy for Singaporeans, which was implemented in 2020, remains suspended.
At the same time, the Taiwan Affairs Office claims that there has been full resumption of commercial air travel between 16 Chinese cities to Taiwan.
Zhu Fenglian, Spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that the number of flights between mainland China and Taiwan went up to 214 between February 13th and 19th, a strong increase from less than 100 flights weekly taking place before January 8th.
However, China’s government has noted that the current transportation capacity is not enough to meet demand, as the weekly flights between the two sides peaked at 890 before the pandemic.
