As the Crow Flies.(airline travel between Taiwan and China)(Brief Article)

The devastating crash of Flight 611 en route from Taiwan to Hong Kong nearly two weeks ago was China Airlines' fourth fatal accident in only eight years. Trusting that ongoing investigations will determine the precise reason 225 people died, many of Taiwan's politicians have shifted their attention to another key question: why were all those Taiwanese flying to Hong Kong in the first place?

The answer's easy--direct flights between Taiwan and China have been banned since 1949, so Taiwanese travelers have to reach the mainland via Hong Kong, Macau or a third country. The numbers of these travelers have boomed since the 1980s as Taiwanese businessmen have rushed to set up shop in China; 2 million Taiwanese now travel to the mainland each year. But top members of President Chen Shui-bian's ruling Democratic Progressive Party continue to oppose the opening of direct air links, fearing their impact on the little island's de facto independence.

Now Taiwan's other airline--the relatively young EVA Air--is poised to benefit from what could become a momentous shift in policy. Just before the crash of Flight 611, Chen, who until now has said he would favor direct links only if they ...