Acurious two paragraphs came out of the Beijing mouthpiece known as the China News Service this week.
The semi-official agency said Wang Guixiang, chairman of China National Aviation Corp (CNAC), would lead a week-long business delegation to Taiwan and probably would meet enemies due eventually to be involved in talks aimed at resuming direct flights from the mainland.
It is a significant piece of news with ramifications that are both economic and political in nature, for CNAC is the commercial arm of China's powerful regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Friendly with the People's Liberation Army, CAAC has ultimate control over the mainland's several dozen airlines, and has great influence that eventually could lead to the resumption of direct transport between Taiwan and 'the motherland'.
Mr Wang is a powerful figure. A former airline president in China, he is chairman of Air Macau, the start-up carrier 51 per cent owned by CNAC, and of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines (Dragonair), the regional carrier that recently became 35.86 per cent owned by CNAC.
Mr Wang is the most senior mainland aviation official to make an official visit to Taiwan, and his trip has raised much talk in the industry with analysts speculating that it is another clue direct links are not far away.
It is not the only indication that relations are warming - at least on the airline front: Heads of Chinese and Taiwanese airlines, as well as airport authorities and travel agencies, already have admitted to having forged 'commercial contacts' in the event that flights across the Taiwan Strait to China are approved.
