Taipei [Taiwan], April 23 (ANI): The opening of two new air routes, with flight paths near two outlying islands controlled by Taiwan, is the latest move by China to up the pressure on Taiwan ahead of the swearing-in of the president-elect, Lai Ching-te, Voice of America reported, citing several analysts.
Lai, a member of Taiwan’s pro-sovereignty Democratic Progress Party, was elected in January and will be sworn into office on May 20.
Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, says Beijing has been using a combination of cognitive warfare, economic coercion, and gray zone operation measures against Taiwan. Gray zone operations involve using irregular tactics without resorting to open combat.
“China’s latest efforts to increase pressure on Taiwan is both part of its pressure campaign against Taipei and its response to recent international support for Taiwan, such as the reiteration of maintaining the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by the US, Japan, and other G7 countries,” Su said.
In a statement on April 19, China’s civil aviation regulator announced it had started using two west-to-east flight paths from the coastal cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou. The new air routes, known as W122 and W123, will connect to what is called the M503 air route, and they will operate alongside existing flight paths to the Taiwanese islands Kinmen and Matsu, which operate regular flights to and from Taiwan’s main island.
The M503 route runs alongside the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which once served as an unofficial border between China and Taiwan.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration added that Beijing also plans to “further optimize” the airspace around Fuzhou airport in the southern Fujian Province starting May 16, four days before Lai’s inauguration, VOA reported.
Notably, shortly after Lai won the elections in January, Beijing unilaterally cancelled flight paths for the M503 route and opened new west-to-east air routes from three coastal cities.
Beijing views Lai as an advocate of Taiwan’s independence. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unite the island with the mainland.
Responding to Chia’s announcement, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration said Beijing’s decision could create serious flight safety risks since the distance between China and Taiwan flight paths is only two kilometres (1.1. nautical miles) at its nearest point. Taipei says it will demand that any aircraft using the new air routes turn back.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which oversees cross-strait relations, said Taipei’s criticism is “a malicious hype” aimed to “create an illusion” that Beijing is “squeezing its space.
Since the new air routes initiated by Beijing runs very close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, some experts say China is trying to redefine the status quo across the Taiwan Strait based on its terms, the report further stated.
