BEIJING - Beijing called on Taipei on Wednesday to add more charter flights between the island and the mainland next month for the Chinese New Year. 

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The 96 flights already authorized are inadequate for Taiwanese business people staying on the mainland, said Yang Yi, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Cabinet.

"Especially in Shanghai, Taiwan businesspeople say these flights cannot meet their needs," Yang said.

"One hopes the Taiwan authorities will agree that the cross-strait airline organizations can negotiate this and appropriately add more charter flights for the New Year," he said at a news conference.

The two sides have allowed charter flights in recent years to carry Taiwanese business people home for the Lunar New Year, the most important Chinese holiday.

This year, flights are due to take place February 17-25 between Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen on the mainland, and Taiwan's cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung.