China Retreats On No-Fly Zone Bid Near Taiwan

China appeared to make a rare U-turn over the implementation of an aggressive no-fly zone north of Taiwan, after Taipei complained about the “unheard of” original three-day restrictions, Sophia Yan reported for The Telegraph.

Photo Insert: Beijing had initially proposed to restrict all civilian flights in an area within the island’s air-defense identification zone (AIDZ) from April 16 to 18, owing to “aerospace” activities, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.

Beijing had initially proposed to restrict all civilian flights in an area within the island’s air-defense identification zone (AIDZ) from April 16 to 18, owing to “aerospace” activities, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.

But it revised this down to just 27 minutes, from 9:30 am to 9:57 am, on Sunday after Taipei lodged a protest.

Earlier, China said its navy would board cargo ships in the South China Sea purportedly to “strengthen maritime security” but Taiwan slammed the move and said it would fight such a form of Beijing’s piracy.

The airspace in question “sits at a crucial location in East Asian air routes and is a main transport artery in the western Pacific”, Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement.

“China’s attempt to restrict flights for as long as three days under the pretext of ‘aerospace activities’ is not only almost unheard of internationally, but also has a severe impact on managing civil aviation, and deals a blow to aviation rights and safety,” it added.

The area is crossed by hundreds of flights daily, Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard also reported for Reuters.

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