Beijing - Saba:
China announced on Sunday the opening of a third extension to the "M503" flight route near the Taiwan Strait's median line, prompting a protest from Taipei, which called it a "unilateral attempt to change the status quo."
The new route, "W121," extends from mainland China toward Taiwan, just ahead of Taiwan’s annual "Han Kuang" military drills simulating a possible Chinese attack.
This move follows last year’s openings of routes "W122" and "W123." Beijing claims the new path aims to improve air safety and reduce delays, while Taiwan insists that any changes should be coordinated in advance.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the move is meant to "ease air traffic pressure, ensure flight safety, reduce delays, and benefit people on both sides of the strait," according to the Global Times.
Taiwan, however, accuses China of destabilizing the region and argues that passenger traffic has yet to return to pre-COVID levels, undermining Beijing’s justification.
Taiwan has governed itself independently since 1949, but Beijing views the island as a breakaway province and opposes any official foreign ties with Taipei, asserting that the island is part of its territory.
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