China wages war on civil air safety

By: Michael Mazza | Taipei Times |

China has long given assurances that it would not interfere in free access to the global commons. As one Ministry of Defense spokesperson put it in 2024, “the Chinese side always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to countries under international law.” Although these reassurances have always been disingenuous, China’s recent actions display a blatant disregard for these principles. Countries that care about civilian air safety should take note.

In April, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) canceled a planned trip to Eswatini for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation and the 58th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. China reportedly weighed on Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles to deny Lai’s charter plane transit through their flight information regions — despite the intended flight path remaining in international airspace.

As the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its later annexes make clear, a country overseeing an FIR assumes responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of air traffic both within its sovereign airspace and over the high seas within the FIR that lie outside its sovereign territory. It does not assume control.

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