The United States praises Taiwan and China for reaching a consensus on China’s planned new flight route.
The US State Department said on Monday that Taipei and Beijing have set an example on how to conduct negotiations on cross-strait issues. It also said such a consensus between Taiwan and China can help to maintain international civil aviation safety in the region.
China was originally planning on launching the new flight route M503 on March 5. 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 the new route posed national security and flight safety concerns.
China later postponed the launch date for the route to March 29 and decided to move the route six nautical miles further west.