China eases foreign travel limit after US threaten to ban Chinese airlines.
Chinese authorities have appeared to retreat from an escalating dispute with the United States over air travel between the two countries.
Earlier this week, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced plans to bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting June 16.
This was in retaliation to China’s so-called “Five One” rule implemented for international passenger flights, which limits one airline to serving one country from one Chinese city to one foreign city with no more than one flight a week.
In an attempt to deescalate the dispute, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced the decision on Thursday to allow US-based carriers to resume flights to the country.
“Now China has announced the policy adjustment, we hope the US will not create obstacles for resolving this issue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
The DOT now plans to revise its order in the coming days which is expected to allow Chinese airline flights to continue.
Many users on China’s popular social media platform, Weibo, voiced their displeasure towards the CAAC’s handling of the situation, claiming it has yielded to Washington’s threats.
Delta Air Lines hopes to restart flights to Shanghai on June 11 from Detroit and Seattle, while United Airlines plans to resume three routes this month.
American Airlines is seeking to resume flights to mainland China in October.
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