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.
Under the policy, Beijing regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory. 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.
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. “The aviation division follows the One China policy – only mainland China is allowed,” Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News.
