Major airlines list Taiwan as part of China after being pressured by Beijing

  • American Airlines and Cathay Pacific are the latest to make requested changes
  • Beijing had demanded airlines not refer to Taiwan as a non-Chinese entity
  • The White House had previously described the move as 'Orwellian nonsense'

Major airlines including Qantas and British Airways have changed their listings of Taiwan as part of China, with American Airlines and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific becoming the latest carriers to bow to Beijing's demands.

The Chinese government sent a notice to dozens of airlines around the world in April demanding that they not refer to Taiwan as a non-Chinese entity on their websites, setting a deadline of Wednesday to make the changes.

A check on American Airline's website on Wednesday morning showed no reference to Taiwan in dropdown menus, listing Taipei and Kaohsiung as their own entries. Its destination listings usually follow the template of city name, then country name.

British Airways has changed its listings of Taiwan as part of China in its dropdown menu

British Airways has changed its listings of Taiwan as part of China in its dropdown menu

Taipei and Kaohsiung are now listed without a country name on the American Airlines website

Taipei and Kaohsiung are now listed without a country name on the American Airlines website

American Airlines has become one of the latest carriers to comply to China's demands

American Airlines has become one of the latest carriers to comply to China's demands

Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific and subsidiary Cathay Dragon now list the self-ruled island as 'Taiwan, China' on their Chinese and English sites. Smaller airline operators Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express also switched their listings.

Asked about the move, Cathay said its airlines were registered as part of 'the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China'.

'We must comply with the regulations and requirements of the relevant civil aviation authorities,' it said in an emailed statement to MailOnline.

'We are currently in discussions with officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to understand more about the details,' it added without giving further details.

Cathay Pacific lists the self-ruled island as 'Taiwan, China' on its Chinese and English sites

Cathay Pacific lists the self-ruled island as 'Taiwan, China' on its Chinese and English sites

Asked about the move, Cathay said its airlines were registered as part of 'the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China'. 

Asked about the move, Cathay said its airlines were registered as part of 'the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China'. 

Some searches on Delta's website Wednesday showed no country references for destinations in Taiwan, mainland China or semi-autonomous Hong Kong, listing them simply by their city names.

American Airlines spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said in an email statement to AFP: 'Like other carriers, American is implementing changes to address China's request. Air travel is global business, and we abide by the rules in countries where we operate.' 

Other international airlines, including Lufthansa, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines, had already changed their website classifications of Taiwan to 'Taiwan, China' ahead of the deadline in order to avoid penalties. 

MailOnline has reached out to British Airways for comment. 

It was unclear how China might punish airlines that do not comply, but it previously added a clause to rules governing foreign airlines saying regulators could change a company's permit if it did not meet 'the demand of public interest'.

The move was described by the White House in May as 'Orwellian nonsense'. China rejected US requests for talks on the matter, adding on tension in relations already frayed by an escalating trade conflict.

Taiwan condemned what it called the 'insolent actions' of Beijing, saying it was wielding its political and economic clout to pressure international firms.

'Taiwan's existence in the international community is an objective fact. It will not disappear because of suppression by Chinese authorities,' Taiwan's foreign ministry said.

The ministry also said in a tweet on Wednesday that China's demand is 'an affront to rules-based order'. 

'Taiwan is a much-valued democracy and this fact cannot be erased. The leaders of China claim [they] want to win the hearts and minds of Taiwanese. Such actions demonstrate otherwise,' the statement added. 

A check on Eva Air, a Taiwanese international airline, showed that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China are listed under three separate entities.

A check on Eva Air, a Taiwanese international airline, on Wednesday showed that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China are listed under three separate entities

A check on Eva Air, a Taiwanese international airline, on Wednesday showed that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China are listed under three separate entities

The ministry also said in a tweet that China's demand is 'an affront to rules-based order'

The ministry also said in a tweet that China's demand is 'an affront to rules-based order'

Taiwan is a self-ruling democracy but Beijing sees it as part of its territory, to be reunified by force if necessary, and is pushing to isolate the island on the international stage.

As relations between Beijing and Taipei deteriorate under Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen, China is ramping up military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan.

Taiwan's cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka called China's behaviour 'unjust' and asked for support from the international community.

'We keep on urging the international community not to become an accomplice of China bullying Taiwan,' Kolas told reporters Wednesday.