OTTAWA — Beijing's demand that global airlines dismiss Taiwanese sovereignty as a condition for serving Chinese airports represents economic coercion by the communist regime, according to Taiwan's ambassador to Canada.
Recent social media outcry has renewed concerns over Air Canada's persistent practice of listing Taiwanese airports as being in mainland China. This aligns with Beijing's "One China" policy, which rejects Taiwan's sovereignty claims and considers the island a renegade province.
Air Canada's Booking Practices
Although Air Canada currently operates no direct flights to Taiwan, its website and mobile app allow customers to book flights through partner airlines. However, attempting to book a flight to Taiwanese airports via Air Canada's portal lists the sovereign nation of Taiwan as being in "China." This remains true even when accessing the airline's regionalized, Chinese-language site for Taiwan, which lists Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport as being in China instead of Taiwan. The same applies to other international airports in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
Airline's Response
An Air Canada spokesperson stated that the denial of Taiwanese sovereignty is a business decision imposed by Beijing. "In 2018, the Government of the People's Republic of China notified airlines worldwide that they must comply with their requirement regarding the designation of Taiwan in order to do business in China," the statement read. "Most airlines operating to the region have done so."
China's Civil Aviation Administration sent letters to 36 airlines in 2018 demanding they remove references to Taiwan as a sovereign nation. While the White House dismissed Beijing's demands as "Orwellian nonsense," the Trudeau government refused to take a stand. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland stated that Canadian companies should operate without political interference but that private companies are responsible for their website content.
Diplomatic Tensions
Air travel between Canada and China has been a diplomatic tightrope. After a deep freeze in relations, Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent trade mission to Beijing led to a new deal boosting passenger and cargo routes. However, this remains a strictly policed expansion, not an open skies treaty, particularly as western airlines are denied access to Russian airspace. Chinese airlines face no such restrictions, allowing them shorter and cheaper Siberian routes.
Taiwan's Perspective
Harry Tseng, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Canada, called this another example of Beijing bullying the world. "This is another form of economic coercion, forcing companies to comply or lose business in China," Tseng said. "The more China presses, the stronger the resistance. No matter who China tries to intimidate, the reality remains that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other."
