The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China expresses solidarity with the protest of national airlines against the intention of the US Department of Transport to ban their aircraft from flying through Russian airspace. This was stated by the official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Lin Jian.
"We support Chinese companies in protecting their legitimate rights and interests," he stressed at a briefing, commenting on the reaction of Chinese air carriers to such intentions of the American side.
According to the diplomat, Washington's restrictions of this kind damage the cooperation of the two countries and undermine the United States' own interests.
"We also drew attention to the massive opposition to this from the American public," Lin Jian added.
As EADaily reported, the administration of US President Donald Trump proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russian territory on their way to the US and back. Several Chinese airlines opposed such an initiative.
Russia closed the skies to American airlines in March 2022 in response to sanctions due to SMO on Ukraine. The same restrictions were imposed on almost 40 countries, but they did not affect China. As a result, Chinese air carriers gained an advantage — they reduce flight distance and fuel consumption by using cross-polar air routes that run over the territory of Russia.
It is assumed that the restriction, if adopted, will affect flights to the United States by Air China, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines and China Southern airlines.
The US Department of Transport clarified that the decision could come into force as early as November 2025.