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The US Department of Transportation said that as of June 16th it would block Chinese airlines from flying into the US.
This is in response to what the US says is Beijing’s policy that has prevented US carriers from service between the two countries.
The Transportation Department said the Chinese government is violating an agreement between the two countries for international travel by preventing United Airlines and Delta Air Lines from resuming the trans-oceanic flights. Those airlines had asked to resume service on June 1st.
Service was earlier suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just hours after the Department made its announcement, China’s civil aviation regulator issued a notice that would effectively allow US carriers to resume limited services into the country.
China has failed to permit U.S. carriers to exercise their bilateral rights to conduct passenger air service to China. The Chinese government’s failure to approve their requests is a violation of our Air Transport Agreement.
— TransportationGov (@USDOT) June 3, 2020
The Transportation Department order said “Chinese aviation authorities have failed to permit US air carriers to” operate the routes they previously flew.
“The Department will continue to engage our Chinese counterparts so both U.S. and Chinese carriers can fully exercise their bilateral rights,” the department said in a statement. “In the meantime, we will allow Chinese carriers to operate the same number of scheduled passenger flights as the Chinese government allows ours.”
Since late March, to curb imported Covid-19 cases, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had only permitted foreign passenger carriers to operate one weekly flight into China based on their mid-March schedule.
The US was excluded from this, because its airlines suspended all China flights.
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have wanted to restart daily US-China flights in early June but the CAAC failed to respond to their requests, according to an earlier DOT statement.
In what appears unacceptable to the US, several Chinese passenger airlines have continued to fly between the two countries throughout the pandemic, though their flights are also limited to once a week.
The Chinese civil aviation regulator scrapped the mid-March benchmark but kept the weekly frequency cap for all airlines.
It also requires all carriers to comply with strict Chinese health regulations, announcing a mechanism to punish airlines whose passengers test positive for Covid-19 upon landing in China.
Those who land those without positive cases on board three weeks in a row will be rewarded with one additional weekly frequency.
The Chinese regulator also suggested that airlines may be able to increase flights to certain countries if risks are deemed low. The new rules take effect June 8th.
Of course, the US cannot comply with that since it doesn’t specifically and solely benefit its carriers, especially since with its nearly 2 million confirmed cases.
US media, however, presented this as a “war with US on flights” and that China “blinked first” and so on. This is present in the New York Times, they were joined by Indian NDTV, and others.
Every possible field is currently being turned into a sort of enclosed battlefield between the US and China – where and why COVID-19 started, flights between the countries, the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and much more.
They are, of course, with variable degree of significance, but it is showing of a Cold War-like standoff and power competition that could potentially just be starting off.
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US empire is dying and provoking conflicts and racism at home and abroad. US is also trying its evil best to create India and China tensions. Hopefully, even a CIA installed fool like Modi will not start a conflict that will destroy India.
Israel joined the U.S against China and kicked them out from the 5G project, we don’t need spies here. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-set-to-reject-chinese-bids-for-role-in-5g-network-infrastructure/
I agree but so much manufacturing is done in China chances are they were just handed all the blueprints, cheap labor and manufacturing capacity is China’s power, no need for spies
Yup, but we know how dangerous the Chinese can be if you let them. Other countries should do the same, or they will wake up one day with sensitive data in Chinese hands.
Your a pot calling a kettle black.
You guys and America are the spy kings, how stupid do you think we are.
Sure we are Mike.
Dying empire on suicide watch.
U.S. is shooting itself in the foot again. Most of Silicon Valley is run by China nowdays.
What U.S wants is many of my people infected with Covid19 ,your people must infects too.