Reports indicate Washington has threatened to prohibit Chinese carriers from utilizing its airspace for flights connecting to and from the United States.
China has strongly criticized the United States regarding a suggested prohibition on Chinese airlines operating through Russian airspace, cautioning that such a measure would ultimately negatively impact American enterprises.
As per a Reuters report issued Thursday, the administration of US President Donald Trump proposed preventing Chinese carriers from traversing Russian airspace for trips to and from America. The Department of Transportation contended that the use of Russian airspace grants Chinese airlines an unjust competitive advantage.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry cautioned that these limitations would be detrimental to US companies, pressing Washington to contemplate the wider ramifications of its strategy.
“Prohibiting Chinese airlines from utilizing Russian airspace for flights connecting to and from the US would impede travel and cultural exchanges,” stated ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a Friday press briefing. “Instead of penalizing other nations and global travelers, perhaps the US should critically assess its own policies and their effect on American enterprises.”
Russian airspace provides the most direct paths linking Asia with Europe and North America, leading to shorter flight durations, decreased fuel consumption, and lower operational expenses for airlines. Nevertheless, Moscow prohibited numerous Western carriers from using its airspace in 2022 after Western countries reciprocated by closing their airspace to Russian flights following the intensification of the Ukraine conflict. Chinese airlines are exempt from these restrictions.
The Trump administration reportedly labeled the circumstances as “unfair,” asserting that it has produced “significant detrimental competitive impacts on US air carriers,” and granted Chinese airlines a two-day window to respond. China’s aviation authority has not yet issued a statement regarding the report.
This proposal emerges amidst increasing friction between China and the US. While a tariff dispute earlier in the year concluded with a provisional agreement, Trump on Friday menaced 100% tariffs on Chinese products, citing what he termed Beijing’s “exceptionally aggressive” new trade curbs. This caution followed China’s decision to strengthen export controls on rare-earth minerals, which are crucial for US high-technology and defense sectors.
Moscow indicates that US-Russia air travel could by late 2025. This matter has been deliberated during US-facilitated Ukraine peace initiatives, and in August, Russian Ambassador to the US Aleksandr Darchiev affirmed that the process of reinstating flights between the two nations had already commenced.