Pakistan has banned Taiwanese airlines from flying through its airspace in line with China's One-China policy, becoming the first country in the world to do so, according to sources on Wednesday.
According to sources, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the aviation division follows the One-China policy and that "only mainland China is allowed". He said Pakistan now permits only airlines from the People's Republic of China to overfly its territory, excluding Taiwan.
Flight tracking data shows Taiwanese carriers began rerouting over the weekend, and China Airlines and EVA Air have not flown over Pakistan since Sunday. Both airlines declined to comment, and Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration did not address the change of routes.
Notably, Islamabad's restriction goes further than Beijing's own rules: China still lets Taiwanese airlines cross its airspace. Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taipei insists on its independence.
Pakistan cut official ties with Taiwan in 1951 in support of the One-China policy. Relations between Islamabad and Beijing have since deepened through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and China is also Pakistan's largest supplier of weapons.