BEIJING: China announced four new flight routes just west of the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China, a Hong Kong Chinese-language newspaper said Wednesday.
Ming Pao cited Antony Wong Dong, president of the International Military Association in Macau, as saying that China’s move is aimed at testing the reaction of Taiwan’s ruling and oppostion parties, but said that it is unwise to do so.
The move will make President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration embarrassed and give the opposition camp an excuse to oppose Beijing,” Wong said.The move will also prod Japan and other peripheral countries to adopt harder defensive measures toward China, he said.
However, the same report cited Peter Lok Kung-nam, former head of Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department, as saying that the four new routes have been certified by the International Civil Aviation Organization and that China has not violated regulations in terms of a legal perspective.
Lok also said that civilian aircraft do not fall under the category of “unknown aircraft” and there should be no safety concerns.China announced Monday the implementation of four new flight routes from March 5.Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) expressed strong opposition, citing flight safety concerns.
