A meeting in Kinmen to discuss controversial air routes unilaterally announced by China has been called off in the wake of the TransAsia Airways crash.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced that a visit by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) has been postponed due to the crash as well as a lack of consensus on the contentious flight routes near Taiwan’s airspace.
“Considering the tragedy ... this requires both sides of the Taiwan Strait to put all their efforts into dealing with the aftermath, and both sides have yet to complete communications on the four air routes — including M503 — that the mainland [China] unilaterally designated,” an MAC press release issued yesterday afternoon said. “After discussions ... we have decided to postpone Zhang’s visit to Kinmen.”
Photo: CNA
Wang had been scheduled to stay in Kinmen to hold talks with MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) on Saturday and Sunday.
The MAC said a new date for the visit had yet to be decided by the two sides.
The air route controversy was sparked by China’s decision last month to designate four new air routes through the Taiwan Strait, one of which runs nearly parallel to the median line in the strait.
The announcement immediately triggered criticism from politicians and the public in Taiwan, who consider it an act of provocation.
The council statement said that Taiwan has officially protested the proposed routes, and urged China to negotiate when it comes to drawing flight routes in the Taiwan Strait.
However, the statement said that the two sides had not fully communicated on the issue, and would need more time to find a solution that is mutually acceptable to both sides.
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