[Epoch Times, January 13, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu comprehensive report) This week, the Beijing authorities unilaterally canceled one after another of US flights to China, arousing media attention. On Wednesday (January 12), the Biden administration in the United States criticized the Chinese authorities and warned that the United States may take countermeasures.
On Wednesday, Beijing ordered the suspension of six more U.S.-China flights, bringing the number of canceled U.S.-China flights this year to 70, and the two countries’ feud over air travel intensified.
“China’s (this) behavior violates its obligations under the U.S.-China air transportation agreement. We are engaging with the (Chinese regime) on this, and we reserve the right to take appropriate regulatory measures,” a U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman said.
China’s aviation regulator said on Wednesday it would suspend two other United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Shanghai after seven passengers on the latest flight tested positive.
The American Airlines Association, which represents United, Delta, American and others, said it was “concerned about the impact of (flight) disruptions and continues to assess the impact on operations. We are communicating with the U.S. and Chinese governments to determine an A viable road with minimal impact on passengers.”
American Airlines said on Tuesday that China canceled six Dallas-Shanghai flights in late January and early February. United said it was forced to cancel six flights from San Francisco to Shanghai in late January. Delta said it canceled one flight last week and another flight to Shanghai on Friday.
Before the latest flight cancellations, three U.S. airlines and four Chinese airlines operated about 20 weekly flights between the two countries, well below the more than 100 weekly flights before the virus pandemic.
China has also recently tightened already harsh restrictions on incoming travelers. For example, starting Thursday, travelers from the U.S. will be required to take at least two negative tests in their departure city and monitor their health for seven days before flying to China.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. and China have clashed several times over air services. China’s cancellation of multiple flights this time is the latest development in the incident.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China stipulates that if 5 to 9 passengers test positive for COVID-19 after arriving in China, the flight needs to be suspended for two weeks, and if more than 10 passengers test positive, the flight needs to be suspended for 4 weeks (the so-called “fuse” measures).
On Aug. 6 last year, China told United that it would impose restrictions on the capacity of the flight after five passengers traveling from San Francisco to Shanghai tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21. In response, the U.S. Department of Transportation capped four Chinese airlines’ one-way passenger capacity on U.S.-China routes at 40 percent for four weeks.
The U.S. government said at the time that China’s “circuit breaker” policy violated international air service agreements and placed airlines disproportionately responsible for passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in China. The U.S. Department of Transportation said the airline “was unable to independently verify the positive test results claimed by Chinese authorities. In addition, there was no way to determine where or when a passenger might have been infected.”
The U.S. government said on June 3, 2020 that it will completely ban Chinese airlines from serving the U.S. market starting June 16. The U.S. Department of Transportation said the move was in response to China’s Civil Aviation Administration’s delay in approving U.S. airlines’ request to resume flying.
Beijing then quickly responded by saying it would ease flight restrictions on foreign airlines, allowing them to fly to a Chinese city once a week, while the U.S. Department of Transportation immediately eased restrictions and would allow Chinese airlines to fly twice a week. Flights to and from the United States.
The CCP has always insisted on adopting the “zero-clearing” epidemic prevention policy, which has almost blocked the country’s gates to passengers, and most international flights to China have been cut off. Reuters reported that there are currently only about 200 international flights to China every week, only 2% of the pre-epidemic level, which has brought inconvenience to a large number of Chinese citizens overseas who want to return home, and China’s economic activities have also been greatly affected, further impacting global supply chain.
Responsible editor: Zhang Jie#
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