China Demands US Airlines Stop Referring To Taiwan As A Country

(photo by Kentaro Iemoto, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has sent a letter to United Airlines and American Airlines demanding that they stop referring to Taiwan as a country.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and consistently pressures foreign governments to endorse its claims.

According to Foreign Policy, Beijing requested that the two American airlines abide by Chinese "separatism" legislation and remove from their global websites all references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as independent countries.

China allegedly threatened to punish the airlines if they fail to comply with its requests.

A spokesperson for the US State Department told Taiwan's Central News Agency that the American government is opposed to Chinese standards being imposed upon US businesses and consumers, stressing that in the US Chinese websites enjoy full freedom and are not subjected to political interference.

Since Chinese president Xi Jinping took office in 2012, Beijing has become increasingly assertive on the international stage.

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