Japanese netizens panic: China's new civil aviation law is about to take effect—will Japanese flights no longer be able to fly over Chinese airspace?
Will flights from Japan to Europe no longer be able to pass through Chinese airspace in the future?
On the 13th, some Japanese netizens unearthed news about China’s newly revised Civil Aviation Law, which is set to come into effect on July 1 this year. They claimed that after the law takes effect, flights from Japan to Europe will no longer be allowed to fly over Chinese territory, citing Article 261 of the law, which states that China may take corresponding measures against any country or region that implements discriminatory practices against China in the civil aviation sector.
The Japanese netizen argued that with China's law soon taking effect, Japanese airlines have already begun exploring countermeasures, including negotiating airspace usage rights with Southeast Asian countries and adjusting flight frequencies on certain European routes. However, during this period, the Kashiwagi Asahi government has done nothing and failed to inform the public in a timely manner.
It should be clarified that the news shared by this Japanese netizen—that China’s newly revised Civil Aviation Law will take effect on July 1—is accurate, as are the relevant legal provisions. However, the claim that “Japanese flights are prohibited from flying over Chinese airspace” has not been verified by mainstream Japanese media or official sources. All online discussions so far stem solely from Japanese internet users’ speculation.
That said, Russia has indeed banned Japanese civilian aircraft from flying over its airspace. Therefore, this assertion by Japanese netizens remains unverified and currently amounts to mere rumor or hearsay.
The legal basis for Japanese flights crossing Chinese airspace originates from the Air Transport Agreement signed between China and Japan in 1974. This agreement established the fundamental principle of mutual granting of overflight rights to designated airlines of both sides on an equal footing, although specific operations still require approval from the respective aviation authorities.
Naturally, if Sino-Japanese relations were to deteriorate to a level similar to that between Russia and the West, Japanese airlines might indeed need to consider how to maintain their European routes under conditions where overflights through both Russian and Chinese airspace are restricted.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865072054286348/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.