China launches new flights routes close to Taiwan

Friday, April 19, 2024

China’s aviation regulator recently announced the initiation of new air routes to the cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou, which are positioned in close proximity to the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen and Matsu. This development, disclosed on Friday, April 19, is connected to the contentious M503 flight route that skirts the sensitive median line in the Taiwan Strait, an area of longstanding unofficial demarcation between Taiwan and China, traditionally avoided by combat aircraft from both sides.

Despite China’s assertion that it does not recognize the existence of the median line, its warplanes have increasingly traversed this line as part of Beijing’s ongoing efforts to assert its sovereignty claims over Taiwan. The announcement in January that the routes would traverse from west to east towards Taiwan had already stirred tensions, but the specific operational details were only clarified recently by China’s civil aviation authority.

In their statement, the Chinese aviation regulator indicated that these routes were operational as of their announcement and noted plans to “further optimize” airspace around Fuzhou airport starting May 16, aiming to meet the development needs of flights along China’s coast. They stated that these adjustments are intended to enhance flight safety, improve responses to thunderstorms, and facilitate smoother flight operations.

However, the Taiwanese government, which had expressed its displeasure earlier in January following unilateral changes by China, had not immediately responded to these latest developments. Taiwan has previously accused China of compromising aviation safety and using flight routes as a means to exert political pressure.

The strategic location of Kinmen and Matsu, which maintain regular flight connections to Taiwan, are particularly sensitive, with Taiwan not allowing Chinese aircraft to enter the airspace it controls around these islands. Consequently, flights between Taiwan and the cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou are routed circuitously to skirt the median line rather than crossing the strait directly.

This ongoing contention over the M503 route is not new. Taiwan had raised concerns back in 2018, alleging that China had unilaterally opened the northbound segment of the route without prior notification, violating a 2015 agreement to discuss such matters beforehand. The government of Taiwan, which operates under a democratic system, has consistently rejected China’s sovereignty claims, asserting that the future of the island should be decided solely by its people.

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