Taipei: Taiwan will request its diplomatic and unofficial allies to address China's recent decision to unilaterally establish a new flight route in the Taiwan Strait at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) triennial assembly in September. This announcement was made by a diplomatic source on Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the development follows China's announcement on Sunday to open the northwest-to-southeast W121 flight route, which connects Dongshan in Zhejiang province to the north-south M503 flight route in the Taiwan Strait. In response, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the leading government agency handling China affairs, urged China to initiate discussions via existing channels regarding the new flight route. Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration expressed regret over China's decision and assured that it would monitor the affected flights to ensure safety.

An unnamed source in Taipei highlighted that this is not the first instance of Beijing acting unilaterally in establishing flight routes. The diplomatic source, maintaining anonymity, noted that since the launch of the M503 route in 2015, Taiwan has engaged in discussions with its allies to advocate for its interests. The source emphasized that whenever China unilaterally decides on a flight path, Taiwan protests and communicates its position to ICAO with the help of allies and friendly countries, given its non-membership in the ICAO.

The source cited previous instances, such as the opening of W122 and W123 routes, where nations like the United States, Canada, Japan, Sweden, and the Netherlands raised concerns over Beijing's actions due to potential safety risks. However, despite opposition, those routes remain operational, suggesting that diplomatic pressure alone may not be effective in influencing Beijing.

With the ICAO Assembly's 42nd Session scheduled for late September in Montreal, Taiwan plans to leverage the meeting to express its concerns regarding the new flight path. The source also conveyed Taiwan's intent to reiterate its call for inclusion in the ICAO system to contribute to international aviation safety.

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, has been excluded from the United Nations since 1971 and, consequently, from the ICAO. Taiwan last participated in the ICAO's triennial event in 2013 as a guest, during a period of improved relations with China under the Kuomintang administration. However, since President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party assumed office in 2016, Taiwan has not received invitations to ICAO assemblies, coinciding with strained relations with Beijing.