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Taiwan’s marine shippers, airlines re-route to avoid China’s military exercises, and costs will rise
- Taiwan shippers and airlines are sticking to schedules despite China’s offshore military drills that kicked off following Nancy Pelosi’s departure
- Shipment delays are possible even though exercises do not create a barricade, and uncertainties loom over potential for future drills
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Mainland China launches largest military drill in the Taiwan Strait after Pelosi’s visit
Mainland China launches largest military drill in the Taiwan Strait after Pelosi’s visit
Taiwan’s airlines and marine shippers went about their normal business on Thursday despite Chinese military exercises on all sides of the island, but re-routing and possible delays to avoid danger are expected to further raise transport costs that have already been propped up by pandemic-fuelled price surges.
Transport operators in Taiwan, which sits along one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, are likely to change routes, in line with government guidance issued in Taipei on Wednesday to avoid the six offshore sea-and-air exercise zones.
Mainland Chinese officials kicked off the exercises in response to top US lawmaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Beijing took the visit as an affront, as it claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and strongly opposes any foreign official exchange with the island. The exercises, set to be China’s largest-ever around Taiwan, were expected to last until this weekend.
China Airlines and Eva Airways, the island’s top two carriers, will fly north for about 20 minutes on temporary routes to avoid military activity, said Catherine Chien, consultant and digital marketing head with logistics services firm Dimerco Express Group.
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