Taiwanese expert: “No flight restrictions… pressure will increase on air defense observation”
Analysis suggests that China’s unilateral adjustment of the M503 civil route, which is closest to Taiwan, is an attempt to neutralize the median line, the actual border of the Taiwan Strait.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency on the 1st, Sun Mings, director of the National Security Research Institute of Taiwan’s Institute for Defense Security, said, “China’s decision not to use the offset route, which is 6 nautical miles (approximately 11 km) west (toward China) from the M503 route, is due to the central line of the Taiwan Strait. “It is an attempt to undermine the symbolic meaning of , and this will increase pressure on Taiwan’s air defense observation,” he said.
Director Sun also analyzed, “China is attempting to operate in the ‘grey area’ between war and peace (a vague level of provocation that does not escalate into an actual war) by changing its course.”
Jejung, a researcher at the Taiwan National Policy Fund, also said, “China’s actions are an attempt to deny the existence of the midline of the Taiwan Strait,” adding, “In addition, it is an attempt to deny Taiwan’s flight restriction zone through technical means and has the meaning of ‘legal warfare.’” insisted.
My researcher added, “If Chinese aircraft fly between the (now opened) W122 route and the M503 route, there is a possibility that they may violate the midline of the Taiwan Strait if the flight radius becomes slightly larger.”
David Sacks, a researcher at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, also said, “China is trying to erase the existence of Taiwanese laws through civil flights,” and pointed out, “China’s actions are a very worrying legal battle, and Taiwan has no good countermeasures.”
On the evening of the 30th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China announced in a statement posted on its website, “Starting from February 1st, we will cancel the compromise measures (swerving operations) on the M503 southbound route and begin flights from west to east on 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 January 2015, Taiwanese authorities strongly protested, citing the safety of civil flights. 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 and to temporarily not use the W121, W122, and W123 routes.
Even though Taiwan opposed it due to its proximity to the flight information zone, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) accepted China’s proposal in 2018 and approved M503 as a route.
In January 2018, the Civil Aviation Administration of China unilaterally declared the use of the M503 northbound route and the use of W121, W122, and W123 from east to west, causing friction with Taiwan.
China’s unilateral change of route is assessed as a measure to pressure Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities.
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, “This measure directly contradicts the agreement reached in 2015.”
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.