China and Taiwan signed a landmark deal today to launch regular flights between the long-time rivals as politics was put aside during the first such talks in almost a decade.
Apart from special holidays, there have been no regular direct flights since 1949, when the defeated Nationalists fled to the island amid civil war with the Communists.
China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled and democratic Taiwan ever since and has pledged to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary.
But the election of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, who won by a landslide in March on pledges to boost the local economy by improving trade with China, has suddenly warmed relations.
The first flights, limited for now to weekend charters, will start on July 4th and Taiwan media said the first Chinese tour groups to Taiwan would start arriving from July 18th, two key election pledges of China-friendly Mr Ma.
As many as 3,000 China tourists, the number Mr Ma first proposed, could come to the island per day, Taiwan media said.
China's Xinhua news agency said service would include 36 return flights for every weekend, from Friday to Monday, and the number would increase according to demand.
Mainland and Taiwan airlines would operate 18 flights each.
Talks between China and Taiwan had been broken off for almost a decade, with Beijing refusing to deal with pro-independence then President Cheng Shui-bian.