Taiwan warns against China flight path change

Taiwan condemned China’s intention to modify an aviation route over the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, saying that the shift might have an impact on the sensitive waterway’s stability.

The Taiwanese defence ministry’s warning came a day after China’s civil aviation authority announced adjustments to planes heading southward along the M503 route beginning February 1.

The Chinese authorities stated that the measure was intended to improve efficiency in a busy location.

Taiwan’s military minister, on the other hand, described the change as “unilateral and arbitrary”.

It cautioned that the action may “lead to an escalation in tensions” and urged Beijing to “immediately” reconsider the decision.

Transport Minister Wang Kwo-tsai also cautioned that the route is close to Taipei’s flight information zone, measuring only 4.2 nautical miles at its closest point.

“When the weather is bad, (a plane) might fly east and this could clash with our civil and military aircraft,” he told reporters.

Route M503 had sparked an outcry in Taiwan when China launched it in 2015, given its proximity to the median line that runs through the Taiwan Strait.

China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and does not recognise the median line, on Wednesday reiterated its position.

“Route M503 is a civil route,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said, adding that there is no “so-called median line”.

“This route was launched to alleviate congestion in the relevant airspace and ensure aviation safety,” he added.

The announcement follows the election in Taiwan of the independence-leaning Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing had branded a “severe danger”.

Beijing has vowed to seize Taiwan, by force if necessary, and ramped up pressure on the island, staging several rounds of major military drills in the Taiwan Strait in recent years.