There is no such thing as a "median line" between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Jiang Bin said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
Jiang dismissed the "median line" fallacy when responding to a question about Taiwan media reports linking the Civil Aviation Administration's recent flight route adjustment announcement to the region's military exercise.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on July 6 a new connecting line of the M503, a flight route located close to the mainland in the Taiwan Strait and within the Shanghai flight information region, to ease air traffic congestion, enhance aviation safety and reduce flight delays.
"Taiwan is part of China and there is no such thing as a 'median line'. The designation and launch of the relevant flight route were a routine task carried out by the competent authorities in accordance with the needs of civil aviation development and management, which benefits compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, driven by selfish interests, have taken advantage of this to hype up the so-called 'military threat from the Chinese mainland' narrative, attempting to create anxiety over security, heighten antagonism and confrontation, and obstruct cross-Strait exchanges. This will win no support and will not succeed," said the spokesman.
"The root cause of current tension and instability in cross-Strait ties is that the DPP authorities, in collusion with external forces, have been making provocations in an attempt to split the Taiwan region from China. We hope our compatriots in Taiwan can see the true nature of the DPP authorities' secessionist attempt, fully understand the grave damage of Taiwan secessionism, firmly oppose separatist activities, and jointly maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he said.
Spokesman dismisses 'median line' fallacy
