Taiwan sounded a positive note on Friday to a proposal to permit the first civilian planes from China to fly to the island in more than 50 years on charter flights for the Lunar New Year holiday.

But Joseph Wu, chairman of the cabinet's policymaking Mainland Affairs Council, declined to comment on media reports that suggested talks were already taking place between airline industry officials on each side of the Taiwan Strait.

"It's moving in a positive direction," Wu said. "I am quite hopeful that it can be realized in this year's Chinese New Year. It might be the first time that the Chinese airplanes can come over here to Taiwan without a stop in a third place first," he told a foreign media briefing.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, begins on February 9.

Taiwan has banned direct transport links with China since the Chinese Nationalists fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war on the mainland to the Communists.

Most travellers across the Taiwan Strait fly via Hong Kong or Macau, adding about 4 hours to what should be a 1 hour flight.

During the Spring Festival in 2003, charter flights between Shanghai and Taiwan cities were commissioned to Taiwan airlines, but they were not allowed to fly directly between Taiwan and China and had to make token stops in Hong Kong or Macau.

The charters were not repeated in 2004, as no agreement could be reached after Beijing demanded that Chinese airlines be also permitted to operate the charters in addition to Taiwan airlines.

The Mainland Affairs Council has said it would agree to allow charter flights by Taiwan and Chinese airlines this year and authorized a private group to discuss details with China after Beijing said it welcomed talks with Taiwan envoys.

Wu said the flights would pass through Hong Kong airspace but would not be required to stop. The government was also amenable to expanding the services to allow flights from Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, he said.

"Some of the items still need to be negotiated between the two sides. We don't know whether we have enough time for the negotiations," he said.

Wu declined to comment on a conflicting media reports that suggested a group led by Michael Lo, chairman of the Taipei Airlines Association, had left for Beijing for talks on the government's behalf.

China sees self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province to be brought to the fold, by force if necessary. Beijing has refused to deal with the administration of pro-independence Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian.