honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 17, 2003

ISLAND VOICES
Taiwanese flight link to Hawai'i resumes

Raymond L.S. Wang is the Taiwan consul general in Honolulu.
By Raymond L.S. Wang

Hawai'i tourism has received a welcome shot in the arm. Beginning today, China Airlines, the biggest airline carrier of the Republic of China on Taiwan, reinstates its twice-weekly direct flights from Taipei to Honolulu, which the carrier had canceled in May 2001.

This is great news for Hawai'i tourism as each flight will bring an additional 258 tourists to this beautiful state.

This direct-flight program is a reinforcement of the already close relationships between Taiwan and Hawai'i. In fact, Hawai'i and Taiwan share a very long and profound history. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, received his secondary education at Punahou and Iolani. Then, in 1894, Dr. Sun founded the Hsing Chung Hui in Hawai'i. That group was one of the most important societies involved in rallying the efforts of overseas Chinese to overthrow the last dynasty in Chinese history, which resulted in the birth of the Republic of China in 1912 as the first constitutional democracy in Asia.

This historical nexus manifests itself in several other spheres. For example, Honolulu and the city of Kaohsiung established a sister-city relationship in 1963. Soon thereafter, the counties of Hawai'i and Maui established similar relationships with Hualien and Pingtung counties, respectively. In 1993, Taiwan and Hawai'i established a sister-state relationship.

In terms of trade, the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism opened an office in Taipei in 1994 to increase the trade volume between both sides. In 2002, Taiwan was the seventh-largest trading partner and export market of Hawai'i, with a total of $17 million of goods.

Concerning tourism, approximately 15,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Hawai'i in 2002. In order to enhance tourism between Hawai'i and Taiwan, the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau participates every year in the Taipei International Travel Fair.

It is my belief that "a good beginning is half of the work," and sincerely hope that the people of the beautiful state of Hawai'i will give their staunch support to this direct-flight program in order to open up a new page for Hawai'i and Taiwan.