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MND stands by restricted air space

Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) yesterday dismissed lawmakers’ concerns that next week’s meeting between the Straits Exchange Foundation and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait could see the military lift its ban on flights through restricted air space in the Taiwan Strait.

“We will not allow any charter flights to fly through this area, I can assure you,” Chen said.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, when asked whether he was worried that military air space would be violated if the government allowed charter flights to fly directly across the Strait, which would shorten flight time.

Chen said it was necessary for the air force to keep certain restricted areas over the Taiwan Strait for training and other military purposes.

Regardless of whether the government moves to shorten the flight time of cross-strait flights, the military will insist on retaining a restricted area, Chen said.

“Shortening the flights and allowing them to fly over the north or south of Taiwan, instead of flying directly across the Taiwan Strait, is acceptable,” Chen said. “As these routes would not impact our national defense as much, we would be willing to approve such a proposal.”

The military has in the past expressed concern at any plan that would shorten the advance warning for threats in the Taiwan Strait to less than 10 minutes, as this would not be sufficient to intercept enemy planes.
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