The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on Friday disclosed a full transcript of the communications between Taiwanese and Hong Kong air traffic controllers, rebutting the latter’s claim that a Taiwanese plane had voluntarily abandoned its flight path.
Hong Kong denied permission for the plane to proceed to the disputed Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), which are claimed by both Taiwan and China, the CAA said.
The incident happened on Thursday when a civil aircraft chartered by the military was advised by Hong Kong air traffic controllers to not enter the airspace over a group of islands in the South China Sea because of “dangerous activities” in the area, the CAA said.
The Pratas Islands, which are administered by Taiwan, are about 310km southeast of Hong Kong and are within its Flight Information Region (FIR).
It has been standard practice for Taiwanese air traffic controllers to inform their Hong Kong counterparts about planes that are to enter the territory’s FIR 20 to 30 nautical miles (37km to 56km) ahead of entry, the CAA said.
On the day of the incident, Hong Kong contacted Taipei when the plane was still 50 to 60 nautical miles (93km to 111km) away from the Hong Kong-administered FIR, it said.
The Uni Air ATR2-600 aircraft was transporting coast guard officers and marine national park personnel to the islands, where about 250 officers are regularly stationed.
The Taipei side on that day asked the Hong Kong side if the denial of passage was due to ongoing military exercises, but no further information was given, the transcript showed.
However, the Hong Kong air traffic controller indicated that he simply could not allow a Taiwanese plane into the area, it showed.
“Affirmative, so Hong Kong cannot accept this aircraft. Can you talk to your military?” the Hong Kong air traffic controller said, according to the transcript.
Asked by Taipei if any notice had been given in advance about the supposed danger in the area, Hong Kong said no.
Normally, notice is given 48 hours in advance for activities such as military drills, according to military experts.
Earlier on Friday, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said it received a CAA notice of the UNI Air aircraft’s planned entry into the Hong Kong FIR and reminded Taipei that the plane must stay above the minimum safe altitude.
Then the Taiwanese side canceled the entry request, the Hong Kong department said, adding that it followed protocol in handling the situation.
According to the transcript, the Hong Kong air traffic controller indicated that only the area above 26,000 feet (7,925m) was safe.
The aircraft was not equipped to fly above that altitude and was eventually forced to return to Kaohsiung, the CAA said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to