The Cabinet says that it was aware ahead of time that China would be testing a new flight route – M503 – at 11am on Sunday. Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said that Chinese officials had informed them of the plans, and that Taiwan’s aviation authority was prepared in advance and monitored the test flight.
China was originally planning on launching the new flight route M503 on March 5th. But its unilateral announcement of the route – just kilometers from the center line of the Taiwan Strait – drew a strong backlash from Taiwan. Officials in Taipei said that the new route posed national security and flight safety concerns.
China later postponed the launch date for the route, and moved it six nautical miles further west.
Taiwan’s top body overseeing the government’s China policy also said on Sunday that it was prepared in advance. The organization – the Mainland Affairs Council – said that a test flight was necessary to ensure flight safety before the route could go into service. The test looked at navigation, radar, and automated communication systems along the flight path.
The council said that China had informed Taiwan ahead of time about the test flight details, and that Taiwan authorities had monitored the test flight.