Twenty-eight members of the European Parliament have sent a joint letter to leaders of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the EU to express concern over China’s unilateral decision to alter the M503 flight path.
The letter, which was sent on Wednesday last week, was addressed to ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, European Commissioner for Climate Action Frans Timmermans and European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean.
Jan-Christoph Oetjen, vice president of the European Parliament and vice chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, posted the letter on X yesterday, calling on the ICAO to “take immediate action.”
Photo: Reuters
Beijing on Jan. 30 announced changes to the M503 flight path, breaking its agreement with Taiwan that southbound flights on the route should operate 6 nautical miles (11km) southwest of the route.
Two days later, it commenced the W122 and W123 eastbound routes, which the two sides had agreed not to launch before confirming the details of their implementation.
Carrying out the changes without prior consultation with Taiwan “are in direct violation of established agreements between the two sides,” the letter said.
The actions also contravened section 4.2.6 of the ICAO’s Air Traffic Services Planning Manual, which stipulates that establishing and changing flight routes should be made “only after they have been coordinated with all parties concerned,” it said.
The letter said that China’s moves “are politically motivated,” as they were taken shortly after Taiwan completed its presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13, and “without tangible evidence to demonstrate there are real traffic issues to be addressed.”
“This raises concerns about aviation infrastructure being used as a tool for geopolitical pressure,” it said.
Making the alterations unilaterally posed risks to regional stability and predictability, “potentially leading to misunderstandings and escalations” across the Taiwan Strait, it added.
Launching new routes would also “challenge air traffic management and raise the likelihood of incidents or accidents,” it said.
The disregard for Taiwan’s interests further hinders the nation’s participation in the ICAO, which “not only undermines Taiwan’s rights, but also hampers global efforts to ensure aviation safety,” the letter said.
The parliamentarians called for actions from the ICAO to “ensure compliance with established regulations and agreements.”
“It is essential to uphold the principles of transparency, cooperation, and respect for international norms in the management of civil aviation,” the letter added.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the parliamentarians for expressing concern over the issue.
The signatories include members of four major parties in the European Parliament — the European People’s Party, Renew Europe, the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Greens/EFA Group — which showed that clear consensus exists in the parliament regarding China’s unilateral behavior and support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said in a press release.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS