Airlines rectifying country listings

Eighteen of the 44 foreign airlines that had been required to stop listing the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan as though they are independent countries have finished the rectification, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Friday.

The other 26 foreign airlines have promised to make the changes but applied for delayed implementation from May 28 to July 25 due to technical reasons, the administration said in a statement, adding that the applications have been granted.

The administration said it will closely follow the airlines that have not yet finished the rectification. It also promised to safeguard the legitimate rights of foreign airlines to offer transportation services in China.

On April 25, the administration demanded 44 foreign airlines review their websites and apps to ensure no Chinese territories are incorrectly labeled as countries, as such practice is a violation of Chinese laws and goes against the one-China policy. The rectification should be finished within a month, according to the administration.

The request was made after Delta, the United States-based carrier, was found to have listed Tibet and Taiwan as countries in a drop-down menu in an online comments section.

In response to a White House statement criticizing the administration's requirement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on May 6 that no matter what the US says, it won't change the objective fact that there is only one China, and that Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are inseparable parts of China.

China will continue to handle its foreign relations according to the one-China policy, Geng said, urging foreign corporations running businesses in China to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by China's laws and respect Chinese people's national feelings.