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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Concerns about route W121 raised
A China Eastern Airlines aircraft and Shanghai Airlines aircraft are seen in Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on June 4, 2020. Photo: Reuters
/ Staff Writer
International news media yesterday warned about security in the Taiwan Strait after China unilaterally announced it has opened a third extension of the M503 flight route, just west of the Strait’s median line.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration said that opening the W121 route was to “further optimize the airspace environment and improve operational efficiency.”
Meanwhile, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that the measure aimed to ensure flight safety and reduce flight delays, adding that both sides of the Strait would benefit.
The Mainland Affairs Council rejected China’s claims, saying that China’s international flight numbers have not even returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia yesterday reported that the opening of the W121 route comes days before Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang drills, during which a Chinese blockade and invasion are to be simulated.
The median line has for years served as an unofficial barrier between Taiwan and China, but Beijing does not recognize its existence, it said, adding that “Chinese warplanes now regularly fly over it as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims.”
After China on Jan. 30 last year announced it would move its M503 flight route, members of the Canadian parliament urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to pay close attention to China, calling the route modification a “significant safety issue in civil aviation across the Taiwan Strait.”
Canadian parliament member Judy Sgro, chairperson of the Canadian-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, said at the time: “This not only seriously jeopardizes aviation safety, peace and stability in the region, but also undermines the ‘status quo’ across the Taiwan Strait.”
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that China’s flight route adjustments and frequent crossing of the median line are gradually changing the “status quo” in the air above the Taiwan Strait, adding that Beijing was paving the way for possible military actions in the future.
This type of “gray zone” tactic not only reduces Taiwan’s air defense warning time, but also aims to continue putting pressure on the nation through non-military action to add difficulties to its defense, it said.
The international community should pay close attention to such actions to prevent regional security from worsening, it added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
