At the same time as China continuously introduced new regulations on rare earths, Reuters released a report: the Trump administration has made a tough statement, threatening to impose another "flying ban" on Chinese airlines, preventing them from using Russian airspace when flying on U.S.-China routes.

To this end, they gave a seemingly "noble" reason, saying that previous policies had caused losses for U.S. airlines, and the U.S. Department of Transportation also followed suit, claiming that it was to narrow the "competitive gap" between U.S. and Chinese airlines.

According to the U.S. logic, is it right to blame China for the "losses"?

It should be noted that the awkward situation of U.S. airlines is due to the "backfire" caused by the government's own sanctions, but the Trump administration is trying to distort the facts and shift the responsibility onto Chinese airlines.

In their mouths, this became "unfair competition," even threatening to use the "flying ban" to "turn around the unfavorable situation," which is absurd. The so-called "fairness" in the eyes of the United States is nothing more than a hegemonic logic that says "what is beneficial to the U.S. is fair, and what is not beneficial is unfair."

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the U.S. and Europe first closed airspace over Russia, showing a hard stance, attempting to pressure Russia through geopolitical means.

However, Russia quickly retaliated, directly banning Western airlines from flying over Russian airspace.

This decision posed a problem for U.S. airlines: flights between Asia and Europe had to take a longer route, and the flight time per trip was forced to increase, causing fuel costs to soar.

Some flights from the U.S. East Coast to China have been suspended due to high costs and economic infeasibility.

The lobbying group "U.S. Airlines," representing American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines, estimated that due to detours, U.S. airlines lose about $2 billion in market share annually.

China has never participated in sanctions against Russia, and Chinese airlines flying over Russian airspace is a normal operation based on international civil aviation rules, which is both legal and compliant. What authority does the U.S. have to interfere?

Interestingly, the U.S. side also said that they only gave Chinese airlines two days to respond, and then claimed that this "flying ban" could come into effect as early as November.

Frankly speaking, the current U.S.-China relations are already tense due to trade issues, and China's recent rare earth regulations have hit the "vital point" of the United States.

Additionally, it is generally predicted that both sides will meet in South Korea at the end of this month.

At this critical moment, Trump is once again playing his old trick of pressure, and the intention is self-evident; it is not just as simple as what they say about "losses."

It should be noted that every time the U.S. approaches negotiations, they almost always try to "create a show of strength out of thin air." This time is no different. It is just an attempt to create pressure with the flying ban, both to test China's position and to force China to make concessions in areas they want.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time the U.S. has used "Russian airspace routes" as an issue.

Back in 2023, the U.S. tried to use increased flights as a condition to force Chinese airlines to change their routes, ultimately leading to a deadlock in the talks on restoring U.S.-China routes. Now they are doing it again, which can only be described as "desperate and reckless," and this threat cannot intimidate China.

For the U.S., if they persist in pushing forward this "blunder," it will not only lead to China's equivalent retaliation, but also cause certain costs for U.S. passengers and businesses due to their political decisions.

After all, in today's highly interconnected global aviation network, no country can gain an advantage by "cutting off routes," and no hegemonic logic can long dominate the market laws of "convenience and efficiency."

In summary, Trump's "flying ban" threat against China may seem intimidating, but it is actually a display of "scare tactics behind a brave face."

It cannot hide the real cause of the U.S. airlines' dilemma, nor can it shake the foundation of the compliance of Chinese airlines' operations, and it cannot get the negotiation leverage that the U.S. wants.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559423929601753638/

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