A military expert in Macau has said it is unwise for China to announce four new flight routes just west of the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China, a Hong Kong Chinese-language newspaper said yesterday.
Ming Pao cited Macau-based International Military Association president Wong Dong (黃東) as saying that China’s move is aimed at testing the reaction of Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties, but said that it was unwise to do so.
“The move will make President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration embarrassed and give the opposition camp an excuse to oppose Beijing,” Wong said.
The move would also prod Japan and other peripheral countries to adopt more defensive measures toward China, he said.
However, the same report cited the former head of Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department, Lok Kung-nam (樂鞏南), as saying that the four new routes have been certified by the International Civil Aviation Organization and that China has not violated regulations from a legal perspective.
Lok also said that civilian aircraft do not fall under the category of “unknown aircraft” and that there should be no safety concerns.
China announced on Monday the implementation of four new flight routes to begin operations on March 5.
Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) expressed strong opposition, citing flight safety concerns.
The new north-south route M503 — west of the center line of the Taiwan Strait — and three east-west routes — W121, W122 and W123 — that connect with it are not acceptable, the CAA said.
Route M503 is too close to the Taipei Flight Information Region, a key air transport hub in the west Pacific, while routes W121, W122 and W123 could affect flights between Taiwan and the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu, the agency said.
According to the CAA, the shortest distance between Route M503 and the center line of the Taiwan Strait is just 7.8km.
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