Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

China flight route heightens tensions

Taipei Times Editorial

China has unilaterally created a new flight route, M503, along the Taiwan Strait median line, originally due to come into effect today. Amid rigorous objections by the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan, and protests by civic groups on Sunday, Taiwan and China reached a consensus to postpone the implementation of the new route, to use it on a trial basis and to maintain communication about progress.

Although the controversy has been set aside for the time being, the situation remains tense and Taiwan must remain vigilant.

Singing protesters decry flight route

Taipei Times

People protest in front of the branch offices of China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines in Taipei yesterday, demanding that Beijing withdraw the proposed M503 flight route.
Photo: Hsiao Ting-fang, Taipei Times

More than 100 demonstrators yesterday sang in unison outside the Taipei office of China Southern Airlines to express their opposition to controversial flight routes proposed by Beijing.

Headed by a coalition of social advocacy organizations and pro-independence groups, the protesters demanded that China cancel its plans for flight route M503, which runs close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Claims over victory in Pacific war are hollow

James Wang 王景弘

Acting on the Cabinet’s instructions, the Ministry of National Defense is planning activities to mark the 70th anniversary of China’s war of resistance against Japan.

The emphasis will be on the idea that the government of the Republic of China (ROC) played the leading role in the war, in case people have a different impression. Some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have also called on the ministry to organize a military parade as a way of vying with China for the right to talk about the “victorious resistance.”

KMT still in denial over 228 killings

Chen Yi-shen 陳儀深

Considering the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) past position that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated the Civil War and that advocating Taiwanese independence was tantamount to insurgency, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) statement that the 228 Incident was the result of a public reaction to official oppression, thus placing the fault with the government, would seem to be a step forward. Is there any reason to oppose this development?

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