China unilaterally adjusts M503 civil route, ‘closest to Taiwan’
Effective from February 1st… Part of pressure on Taiwan
In response to China’s unilateral adjustment of the M503 civil route, which is closest to Taiwan, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense urged China to stop its destructive actions.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency on the 31st, Sun Li-fang, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, was asked about China’s adjustment of the M503 at an event related to ‘strengthening alertness during the Lunar New Year holiday’ and said, “Any unilateral and irrational move will escalate tensions (in the region).” “It can destroy the stable status quo in the region,” he said, adding, “The Chinese government must immediately stop such destructive actions.”
Spokesperson Sun also said, “The military will use all reconnaissance means in an integrated manner to observe trends around the Taiwan Sea,” adding, “The military will respond to unidentified aircraft that enter the air defense identification zone in accordance with relevant procedures and regulations and provide air defense “We will guarantee safety,” he said.
He then emphasized, “The safety and stability of the waters and airspace of the Taiwan Sea are a common responsibility of each country involved because they are related to the prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region.”
Earlier, the evening before, the Civil Aviation Administration of China announced in a statement posted on its website, “Starting February 1, we will cancel the compromise measures (sweeping routes) on the M503 route and begin using the W122 and W123 routes.” The Civil Aviation Administration of China also explained, “This measure is an optimization measure to increase operational efficiency in the (relevant) airspace.”
The M503 route is a north-south route that passes through the middle of the Taiwan Strait and is approximately 7.8 km away from Taiwan’s midline. In this route, the W121, W122, and W123 routes horizontally connect Dongshan City, Fuzhou City, and Xiamen City.
When China unilaterally declared the opening of these routes in 2015, Taiwanese authorities protested, saying, “They could be used as routes for Chinese military aircraft in case of emergency.” Afterwards, after negotiations with Taiwan, China decided to use an offset route 6 nautical miles (approximately 11 km) west (towards China) from the existing M503 route.
In addition, routes W121, W122, and W123 were declared, but have not been actually used so far.
With this change, China will use the actual M503 route closer to Taiwan from February 1, rather than the compromise route. In addition, the operation of W122 and W123, which have not been used in practice so far, will begin.
Even though Taiwan opposed it due to its proximity to the flight information area, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) accepted China’s proposal in 2018 and approved M503 as a route.
With independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-de winning Taiwan’s presidential election on the 13th, this measure is seen as part of China’s efforts to pressure Taiwan.
Regarding this, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Chinese government’s Taiwan affairs department, said, “This change will alleviate the pressure of increased flights (flight congestion) in relevant areas, ensure flight safety, and reduce flight delays. “This is to ensure the rights and interests of customers,” he explained.
On the other hand, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration immediately issued a statement and strongly protested. Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Bureau pointed out that “this measure directly contradicts the agreement reached in 2015.”
The Mainland Council (MAC), Taiwan’s governing body for mainland China, also issued a statement demanding that China “immediately stop such irresponsible navigation measures.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.