By Sanxuan

On October 9, the Trump administration once again proposed air traffic restrictions, intending to prohibit Chinese airlines from flying over Russian airspace on flights between China and the United States. It demanded a response from China within two days, and the ban would take effect in November. The U.S. Department of Transportation gave the reason that this move was to "narrow the competitive gap between U.S. and Chinese airlines." However, this argument is clearly not convincing.

The so-called "competitive disadvantage" of U.S. airlines is entirely their own doing. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the U.S. and Europe immediately imposed comprehensive sanctions on Russia, including closing their airspace, which led to a reciprocal response from Russia, banning U.S. and European airlines from flying over Russian airspace.

Russia's countermeasure had an immediate effect. U.S. airlines flying between Asia and Europe had to take a longer route, adding 1.5-2 hours per flight, and fuel costs surged by 10%-20%. Flights from the U.S. East Coast to China became economically unfeasible, with many routes being suspended. According to the U.S. Air Transport Association, U.S. airlines lose $2 billion in market share annually due to rerouting through Russian airspace.

However, the U.S. never reflects on the negative consequences of its sanction policies, but instead turns its attention to Chinese airlines operating in compliance with regulations. It should be noted that China has never participated in the sanctions against Russia. Airlines flying over Russian airspace are based on international civil aviation rules, which is our legitimate right. According to the U.S. logic, if something does not align with its interests, it will label others as "unfair competition," which is both arrogant and hypocritical. More laughably, this is not the first time the U.S. has played this trick. In 2023, the U.S. once tried to force Chinese airlines to change routes by offering to increase flights between China and the U.S., which turned the resumption negotiations into a deadlock. Now, it's just repeating the same tactics.

Additionally, the Trump administration choosing this moment to propose the flight ban is no coincidence, it seems more like a desperate retaliatory action after being hurt by China's countermeasures in strategic games.

Just before the proposal of the flight ban, China launched two sets of "combinations" that caught the U.S. off guard. First, China issued an announcement on export controls for certain rare earth items, implementing strict controls on some rare earth refining and processing technologies. For years, the U.S. has been trying to rebuild its domestic rare earth supply chain, but in core refining technology, it still heavily relies on China. This time, China is controlling "technology" rather than "raw materials," directly cutting off the lifeline for the recovery of the U.S. high-end manufacturing industry and military modernization — from the engines of the F-35 fighter jets to the batteries of new energy vehicles, all rely on the support of Chinese rare earth technology. Second, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that it would add more than a dozen foreign entities to the "Unreliable Entity List." These companies are deeply integrated with the U.S. defense industry system but frequently tread on the red lines of China on issues such as Taiwan, harming China's sovereignty and security interests. Now, they face strict restrictions on their business in China.

U.S. military factories

China's two moves hit the U.S. where it hurts. The U.S. could not find an equivalent countermeasure and thus extended its hand to the civil aviation sector, which is relatively easy to control. In response, China has already made its stance clear. We advise the U.S. government to reflect on the impact of its policies on its own enterprises, rather than unfairly suppressing other countries and making global consumers pay the price.

In fact, if this flight ban were to take effect, the first to suffer would be the ordinary people of the U.S. and China and related enterprises. For Chinese airlines, having to change routes would mean a significant increase in operational costs, which would eventually be passed on to ticket prices, making students, businesspeople, and tourists traveling between China and the U.S. bear the cost. This would affect the anxiety of personnel between China and the U.S. and further worsen the situation for the U.S. aviation industry, which has not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic. If the flight ban triggers an equivalent countermeasure from China, the situation for U.S. airlines would only get worse.

Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Guo Jia Kun

In short, the flight ban by the Trump administration is because the U.S. government has fallen into strategic anxiety. For a long time, the U.S. has been accustomed to acting recklessly within its own rule system. When China gradually gains control in areas such as rare earths and key technologies, breaking the U.S. technological monopoly and resource dependence, the U.S. cannot accept this change in the power structure, and can only resort to bullying to suppress China.

However, in today's highly globalized world, the U.S. hegemonic logic has long ceased to work. Respecting international rules and market laws is in line with the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries. If the Trump administration continues to indulge in the fantasy of "extreme pressure," it will ultimately end up hurting itself.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559543883160437267/

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