CAA addresses Chinese civilian plane flying over Kinmen

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Recent flights by Chinese civilian aircraft over Taiwan's outlying Kinmen County were caused by poor weather brought by an approaching typhoon and do not constitute a new form of "gray zone" activity, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said Tuesday.

The Facebook page "Taiwan ADIZ," which tracks unusual Chinese vessel and aircraft movement in and around the Taiwan Strait, reported Saturday that 14 Chinese commercial aircraft flew over Kinmen from 5:40 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. the previous day, sharing flight paths created using a private flight tracker.

The page added that additional overflights could have occurred throughout the day.

The post was widely shared and sparked heated online debate in Taiwan. Some users speculated the incident was a new form of gray zone tactic -- coercive maneuvers that fall short of open conflict -- while others questioned the response of Taiwan's government.

Following CNA inquiries, the CAA said the Shanghai Area Control Center notified Taiwanese authorities that, due to poor weather in the Taiwan Strait caused by a passing typhoon, some Chinese civilian aircraft might be rerouted and could potentially pass over Kinmen.

The Taiwanese authorities informed their Chinese counterparts that Chinese aircraft must not enter the Kinmen Terminal Control Area, a designated section of airspace surrounding the islands where Taiwan exercises air traffic control.

The CAA added that the information was also relayed to Taiwan's military air traffic control units, which closely monitored the flight activity.

All Chinese aircraft flew at altitudes above 16,000 feet which is outside the Kinmen Terminal Control Area and did not enter Taiwan's airspace, according to the CAA.