China has opened a third extension to a flight path near Taiwan Strait, sparking protest from Taipei over what it calls a move to change the status quo unilaterally. (Image courtesy: Freepik)
Just days before Taiwan kicks off its annual Han Kuang military drills, China has announced the opening of a new flight path extension near the sensitive Taiwan Strait, according to a report published by Reuters on Sunday.
According to the report, the newly added W121 route is the third extension of the controversial M503 air corridor, west of the median line – an unofficial boundary that had long served as a buffer between China and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, China’s Civil Aviation Authority has said that the action is aimed “to further optimize the airspace environment and improve operational efficiency,” while adding that civil aircraft will now utilise the W121 extension.
Taiwan, for its part, has termed the move a “unilateral” adjustment that destabilises the region, the report said.
Taiwan’s top China policy-formulation body, the Mainland Affairs Council, told Reuters that China “utilised unilateral measures to alter the status quo and intensify cross-strait and regional turbulence.”
The W121 extension, the report said, follows last year’s opening of W122 and W123 routes to the south, which also prompted backlash from Taipei.
All three extensions run from west to east, starting from mainland China and heading toward Taiwan.
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China’s Taiwan Affairs Office insisted that the flight route adjustments are “beneficial” to both sides and are designed to “guarantee flight safety, lower flight delays, and safeguard the rights and interests of passengers,” as reported by Reuters.
Taipei, however, dismissed the assertion as “unjustified,” while stressing that mainland China’s international air traffic has yet to recover from pre-COVID-19 levels.
Amid mounting military pressure, Taiwan is gearing up for its 10-day Han Kuang war games, beginning July 9, the report further said, adding the drills will likely simulate a potential Chinese blockade or invasion, a scenario Taipei considers an increasingly real threat.
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