Overflying China still sparking disagreement

Legislator Elmer Feng (馮滬祥) of the opposition New Party blasted the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday for "double-dealing" over domestic airlines' wishes to fly through Chinese air space.

Feng, who is a staunch advocate of unification with China, made the remarks during a press conference he called at the Legislative Yuan.

Feng said that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the subsequent US military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, normal flight routes over Pakistan and Afghanistan have been disrupted and domestic airlines have been wanting to use Chinese air space to cut operation costs, reduce flight times and enhance passenger safety.

At present, flights from Taiwan to European destinations are forced to divert to a more southern route that is longer and therefore more costly.

After the media reported earlier this week that MAC Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had given the nod to the airlines' wishes, however, the council responsible for charting the nation's China policy later denied that any such approval had been given.

The MAC clarified that airline operators have to apply on a case-by-case basis and that the MAC will act on the merits of each individual application.

It also added that if the operators cannot prove the necessity and urgency of such flights, the government has no need to jeopardize "the premise of national security."

Saying that Tsai was "double-dealing," Feng claimed that when she communicated with him in the legislature three days earlier, she was positive about approval for overflights.

But, he continued, almost in tandem with that meeting, two MAC officials met with six local airline operators and urged them to act in line with government policy.

Feng pointed out that when he and local airline operators visited China, the airlines expressed the hope that their aircraft would be allowed to fly through the air space of Xingjiang Province in the northwest of China to avoid the dangerous skies over Afghanistan.

Feng questioned the MAC's accusation that he was "using airline operators." He also claimed that the MAC has tried to "stifle" the airline operators since their return from China.

Addressing Feng's criticism, a MAC official denied that the MAC has tried to stifle the operators, saying that its stance has been consistent.

Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿), deputy director of the MAC's Department of Legal Affairs, reiterated that if the operators have the need and make the proper application, the MAC will provide the necessary assistance.

Several aviation operators present at the press conference expressed the hope that they would be able to use Chinese air space, but they also said that they would work in line with government policy.