While the Taiwan-Hong Kong agreement slowly lumbered toward completion, however, the Macao International Air port, having recently gone into operation in the middle of last year, sneaked into the lead by concluding its own commercial air pact with Taiwan. Many ground-breaking features of the Taiwan-Macao pact indirectly laid down a "path of resolution" for the Taiwan-Hong Kong pact.
不過就在台港新約進展緩慢之際，去年年中才落成的澳門國際機場，卻後來居上地搶先和台灣簽訂台澳航約；台澳航約的多項突破，間接為台港航約鋪了「解套」之路。