‘If there are direct India-Taiwan flights, they will fly’: MEA after Pakistan blocks airspace over 'One-China' policy

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday mentioned the possibility of direct air links between India and Taiwan amid reports that Pakistan has denied Taiwanese flights access to its airspace over its “One China” policy.

“My sense is, if there are direct flights, they will fly,” the spokesperson said when asked about plans for direct flights between India and Taiwan.

Pakistan bars Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace

Pakistan has barred Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace, becoming the first country reported to have taken such a step explicitly in support of Beijing’s “One China” policy, Bloomberg reported.

Islamabad confirmed the decision on Wednesday after reports emerged that Taiwanese carriers had begun taking longer routes to avoid Pakistani airspace. The move comes as Pakistan continues to maintain close political and strategic ties with China.

“The aviation division follows the One China policy – only mainland China is allowed,” Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News.

“We have permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan.”

Taiwanese flights take longer routes to Europe

The restriction came to light after aviation observers noticed that some Taiwanese flights had started taking longer routes to reach Europe, flying entirely over Russia since the weekend.

On October 24, a China Airlines flight from Taipei to Rome flew through Russian airspace, bypassing its earlier route through India, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, according to Flightradar24 data.

At least a dozen Asia-Europe flights operated by Taiwanese carriers have instead been routed over Russia.

The reported restriction marks the first known instance of a country explicitly denying Taiwanese airlines access to its airspace on the grounds of adhering to the “One China” principle.

Under the policy, Beijing regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory.

Pakistan maintains close ties with Beijing

Pakistan established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1951, becoming one of the first countries to do so. Since then, the two countries have maintained close political, economic and strategic relations, often describing their ties as an “all-weather” partnership.