On January 30th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China made a unilateral adjustment to the M503, W122, and W123 international flights routes which run parallel to the Taiwan Strait median line. By shifting this flight path to within 4.3 nautical miles (7 km) of the tacitly agreed boundary, the Chinese government has significantly compromised Taiwan’s ability to monitor and protect her own sovereign air space.
In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations, such alterations to a flight route network can only be undertaken after consultation with all parties involved. Due to the fact that we are not a signatory of the ICAO there is no prerequisite to inform Taiwan of such a change. However, similarly affected ICAO member states such as Vietnam, Philippines, Japan and South Korea were neither informed nor negotiated with. Further, the move also violates the relevant cross-strait agreement reached in 2015 which redirected the M503 path 11 kilometres to the west of its original location to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft. The authority responsible for the Taipei Flight Information Region, which lies next to the M503 route, is the Civil Aviation Administration of Taiwan. As a result of this unprecedented alteration, their duty to monitor and protect the air space of the region has been made significantly more hazardous.
The Taiwan Strait is a very busy international air and shipping route. China’s unilateral changes harm the security interests of East Asian countries and the wider international community. In response, we call on the ICAO member states, including Ireland, to request the ICAO urgently launch a special investigation and invite Taiwan to attend the hearing as an observer.
Such unilateral actions amount to unabashed bullying. What’s more, to this day China insists it will use force to “unify” Taiwan if necessary. Currently, our biggest concern is the attempt by the PRC to use civil aviation as an instrument for political, and possibly military purposes. Taiwan is a liberal democracy and a nation of steadfast morality therefore our military will never engage in warfare that could endanger the lives of innocent civilians. However, the intentions of our neighbour are not so predictable.
If the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is altered, no one will be a bystander.
Pierre T. P. Yang, Taipei Representative Office in Ireland