Commercial airliners and ships should avoid a zone north of Taiwan proper where China is planning to conduct aeronautic activities on Sunday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday at 9pm in a formal notice to airlines operating in the Taipei Flight Information Region.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official said that China is planning to launch a weather satellite in the area.
The ministry earlier in the day said that Beijing gave conflicting information about the duration of the activity.
Photo: CNA
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) received a message from Beijing at about 2pm on Wednesday, saying that its aeronautic activities within the Taipei Flight Information Region would be shortened from three days to 27 minutes from 9:30am to 9:57am on Sunday, the ministry said.
However, China’s Fujian Maritime Safety Administration yesterday afternoon announced that ships would be banned from the area from 9am to 3pm on Sunday, the ministry said.
Coordinates given by the agency in Fujian Province show that the no-navigation zone is the same as the no-fly zone set up by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration.
“As the two Chinese agencies gave inconsistent reports, we sought further confirmations from the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration,” the ministry said. “We think the agency is requesting more time because it might need to remove rocket debris from the area.”
“We are asking flight and shipping carriers to bypass the area in which aeronautic activities would be held. The CAA and the Maritime and Port Bureau will closely monitor the status in the airspace and waters around the area in the next few days,” it added.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said the ministry on Wednesday night communicated with Japanese aviation officials on the adjustment of flight routes between the Taipei and Fukuoka flight information regions.
“During the 27-minute period, flights scheduled to fly through the area will be asked to deviate from their original flight routes and fly farther south,” Wang said, adding that affected flights might take an hour longer than usual.
China changed its plan for the no-fly zone after the ministry told Beijing about potential international air traffic disruptions, he said.
“The Taipei Flight Information Region is a busy hub with 18 international flight routes. Imposing a three-day no-fly zone would disrupt many international flights, including flights departing and landing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport,” Wang said.
Despite only taking 27 minutes, about 33 flights might be affected by China’s activities, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS