Protests on Taiwan, China Changes Airspace Closure Plan from Three Days to Only 27 Minutes

JAKARTA - Taiwan announced it was successful in urging China to drastically narrow its plans to seal off air space in the north of the island, preventing wider travel disruptions in a period of high tension in the region due to Chinese military drills.

Beijing had initially notified Taipei it would enforce a no-fly zone from April 16-18. However, Taiwan's Ministry of Transport said this was later reduced to just 27 minutes on Sunday morning after the protests.

The ministry published a map showing what China labels an "aerospace activity zone" northeast of Taiwan and near a group of disputed islands China calls Diaoyu and Japan's Senkaku.

It will be close to civil aviation routes between Taiwan and China as well as between Taiwan and South Korea, among others.

A senior Taiwan official familiar with China's groundbreaking move told Reuters that given the potential for distraction, Taipei had used "a variety of channels" including diplomacy, intelligence, and aviation authorities to persuade Beijing to change its initial plans.

The official said Taiwan had notified all parties that would be affected by China's request, including several Group of Seven (G7) countries whose foreign ministers will travel to Japan for a meeting from April 16-18.

"Everyone found it unbelievable," the official said.

Meanwhile, Yan Yu-hsien, deputy chief of intelligence general staff at Taiwan's defense ministry, said the no-fly zone would fall within the country's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), about 85 nautical miles north of its coast.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he was not aware of the situation when asked at a regular daily press briefing on Wednesday.

Separately, Japan's Kyodo news agency, citing a government source, said China's no-fly zone included what Japan claims is its exclusive economic zone around the Senkaku.

The developments follow days of intensive military drills China is conducting around Taiwan, in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week.

Beijing said the drills - in which it practiced blocking a self-governed island it claims as its own - were a "serious warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces".

Against this backdrop, news of the airspace closures is fueling fears of disrupted travel across the region.

It is understood that when China imposed airspace restrictions during military exercises last August, there was significant disruption to flights in the region, with some aircraft required to carry extra fuel, according to OPSGROUP, an aviation industry cooperative that advises on aviation risks.