BEIJING/TAIPEI: China said on Wednesday that it does not need Taiwan’s permission to open new air routes, after the self-ruled island complained that a new route over the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the two posed a security and safety risk.
Beijing has taken an increasingly hostile stance toward Taiwan since the election two years ago of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.
Tsai said this month the opening of the air route, which runs close to two groups of Taiwan-controlled islands off the Chinese coast, was an irresponsible act that threatens regional security and affects aviation safety.
Taiwan says this month’s opening of the northbound M503 route in the Taiwan Strait was done without informing Taiwan, contravening what the democratic government in Taipei said is a 2015 deal to discuss such flight paths first.
Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, denied breaking the 2015 agreement and said Taiwan had been informed the route would be opening.
“But this does not mean that opening air routes needs Taiwan’s agreement,” Ma said.
There would be no impact upon aviation safety, Ma added, saying the route was needed to alleviate pressure on busy routes over southeastern China between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The route was approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization scientifically and professionally, he said.
“We should believe in science, and the International Civil Aviation Organization,” Ma said.
Taiwan should have a correct view of this matter and stop looking for opportunities to make a fuss, he added.
Taiwan said on Friday the new flight path was so close to the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, it would affect Taiwan air force exercises and other flight operations.
“The planes can come very close to each other,” an official added, referring to other connecting routes that China has opened and where Taiwan civilian flights already operate.
“It becomes a very dangerous situation if we do not consult with each other.”
China considers Taiwan a wayward province and broke off official communication with the Taiwan government after Tsai took office in 2016.
China suspects Tsai wants to push for formal independence, though she has said she wants to maintain the status quo with China and is committed to ensuring peace.
China has in recent months stepped up its military drills around Taiwan, alarming Taipei. China says the exercises are routine, but that it will not tolerate any attempt by the island to declare independence.
China says no need for Taiwan’s permission to open new air route
China says no need for Taiwan’s permission to open new air route
UN arrives in east DR Congo town to prepare ceasefire mission
- Eastern DRC has been ravaged by three decades of conflict and faces renewed violence
KINSHASA: A team of UN peacekeepers arrived in the flashpoint eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Uvira to prepare the deployment of a ceasefire?monitoring mission, the force said Tuesday.
Eastern DRC has been ravaged by three decades of conflict and faces renewed violence following the 2021 resurgence of the M23 armed group, backed by Rwanda and its army.
The M23 seized large swathes of territory in the east and launched an offensive in December on Uvira, a strategic town in South Kivu province near the border with Burundi.
The assault drew condemnation from the United States, which has mediated a fragile peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda.
That agreement provided for the UN’s DRC peacekeeping mission MONUSCO to carry out a field-monitoring operation with a view to implementing a permanent ceasefire.
On Tuesday, MONUSCO and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a grouping of surrounding countries, said in a statement they had deployed a joint exploratory and preliminary assessment mission to Uvira.
Scheduled to run until Friday, the mission focuses on assessing access, security, logistics and engagement needs, MONUSCO said.
The statement called the mission “an essential step toward deploying the future joint ceasefire?monitoring mechanism.”
In January, the M23 withdrew its last troops from Uvira, claiming it was responding to a US request. The Congolese army said it had retaken control of the town.
