China said today it had opened a third expansion of air route M503, which lies west of the unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait, with Taipei protesting that it was "unilateral" a move aimed at changing the status quo in the strait, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Last year, China moved the M503 route closer to the median line, prompting a similar angry response from Taipei, with Taiwan saying any changes to the flight route and its extensions must be communicated in advance and agreed upon by both sides.
The opening of the W121 extension comes days before the annual "Han Kuang" military and civil defense exercises, which Taiwan conducts to simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion of the island.
For years, the median line has served as an unofficial barrier between self-proclaimed Taiwan and China, but Beijing says it does not recognize its existence. Chinese military aircraft now regularly fly over it as Beijing tries to pressure Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims.
China's civil aviation authority said that "in order to further optimize airspace and improve operational efficiency, civil aviation will from now on use the W121 connecting line on the M503 route".
Taiwan's policy-making Mainland China Affairs Council said in a statement to Reuters that mainland China "is using unilateral actions to change the status quo and increase tensions in the Taiwan Strait and regional unrest".
Taiwan launches "Han Kuang" drills on July 9 and is scheduled to last 10 days.
Japan will export used destroyers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against China's maritime expansion, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, which comes amid increased cooperation between the two countries, allies of the United States, to counter Beijing, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The export plan includes six Abukuma-class destroyers, which have been in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for more than three decades, the Japanese newspaper said, citing multiple unnamed government sources.
Defense Ministers General Nakatani and Gilberto Teodoro agreed to the export of the destroyers when they met in Singapore last month, notes "Yomiuri", adding that the Philippine military is due to inspect the destroyers this summer as part of final preparations for the deal.
A Japanese Defense Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report. Spokespersons for the Philippine military and the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Tokyo and Manila say they are facing challenges from Beijing's increasingly assertive actions, including in the South China Sea for the Philippines and the East China Sea for Japan.
Last year, Japan and the Philippines signed a mutual access agreement, Japan's first in Asia, that allows the deployment of forces on each other's territory.
The Abukuma-class destroyers are a relatively small type of warship with a standard displacement of 2,000 tons, manned by a crew of about 120 people and armed with anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles, torpedo tubes and guns, according to the Japanese Navy website.