US Airlines Succumb to Chinese Pressure over Taiwan

After a deadline was set by Chinese officials earlier this year, the top airlines in the United States have changed how they refer to Taiwan on their websites.

According to Reuters.com, government officials in Beijing set a July 25 deadline for foreign companies and airlines to stop referring to Taiwan as a non-Chinese territory on their websites.

While White House originally questioned the demands, the airlines in the U.S. made the concessions, which China called “positive developments.” Before succumbing to pressure, American carriers asked for further talks on the subject, but were denied, adding even more tension between the countries as the trade conflict continues to escalate.

“China is willing to share China’s development opportunities with foreign companies and welcomes them to invest in and operate in China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told Reuters. “Of course, we hope that when they operate in China they respect China’s laws and rules, China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the feelings of the Chinese people.”

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all agreed to make the changes to how they refer to the Taiwanese airport on their websites Wednesday. All three carriers now only list Taipei’s airport code and city, but not the name Taiwan.

Other international airlines such as Air Canada, Lufthansa and British Airways already made the changes to their websites after receiving warnings from the Chinese government earlier this year.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Wednesday it condemned China’s political strategy to “crudely and unreasonably interfere with private commercial activity and international companies’ operations.”