A unilateral decision by China to establish new aviation routes near the midline of the Taiwan Strait without further negotiations with Taipei was “unacceptable,” the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday, adding that it would seek to communicate with the Chinese government on related safety issues in the months to come.
CAA Director-General Jean Shen (沈啟) said that Beijing announced an updated aviation safety bulletin on Monday morning which included four new air routes near China’s southeast coast. Among them, a route labeled M503 is nearly parallel to the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, coming as close to the line as 7.8km.
Additionally, three more routes — W121, W122 and W123 — were established as feeder routes for M503, she said.
Photo: CNA
“The air route W122 would affect Taiwanese air routes W8 and W2, which are used by Taiwanese flights to the outlying islands of Matsu,” Shen said. “The W123 route, on the other hand, is close to Taiwanese route W6, which is used by flights to Kinmen.”
Shen said that Beijing intended to use the M503 route to ease the load on its southeast coast route, which connects Shanghai, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guanzhou and Hong Kong.
She said that both sides had had only “informal discussions” about creating such a route, including addressing the potential deviation of air routes due to inclement weather conditions, air traffic control issues and adjusted aircraft altitudes.
Photo courtesy of the Civil Aeronautics Administration
However, the two sides have not reached consensus on any one of these issues, she said.
The three feeder routes further surprised the administration, as Beijing had not mentioned anything about them previously, she said.
“Based on the spirit of the international civil aviation agreement, any member of the International Civil Aviation Organization should engage in negotiations in advance if any of its new air routes would affect the flight information regions [FIR] nearby,” Shen said. “We find China’s unilateral decision to establish these routes unacceptable. China should continue its communication with us, following the spirit of the international civil aviation agreement.”
Shen said China is scheduled to start using these routes at midnight on March 5, adding that it had indicated that the flights would operate along a buffer zone that is about 7.4km west of M503 when the route goes into service.
However, she said that M503 falls within the Shanghai FIR, which is very close to the Taipei FIR and has to accommodate many international flights.
In light of potential aviation safety concerns that the new route could engender, Shen said the CAA would communicate the technical issues to China.
CAA air traffic control department director Lee Jian-kuo (李建國) said that determining how far west of M503 the CAA would want the routes to move requires further talks with China, adding that the agency wants the buffer zone to be “as large as possible.”
Also, the Ministry of National Defense said that military air patrols would not be changed by China’s flight route plans, adding that patrols of Taiwan’s airspace will be increased, if necessary.
The military conducts airborne patrols throughout the nation’s airspace and these will not be affected by China’s route proposals, the ministry said in a statement.
Questioned about national security concerns, the ministry said that it will continue to monitor aircraft near the median line of the Taiwan Strait and increase air patrols if necessary.
In accordance with the principles of “No fear, no evasion and no showing of weakness,” the ministry said it would monitor, intercept or expel aircraft entering Taiwanese airspace without prior notification.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old