China has notified Taiwan that it will establish a no-fly zone north of the island on Sunday morning for "aerospace activities," Taipei said, amid high cross-strait tensions that have seen the Chinese military continuously send warplanes and vessels near the territory.
China plans to close the airspace in an area about 85 nautical miles from the island's north shore for 27 minutes from 9:30 a.m., Taiwan authorities said Wednesday.
Beijing initially said it would be a three-day closure through next Tuesday but the plan was adjusted following a protest from Taipei, they added.
The no-fly area to be set within Taiwan's air defense identification zone covers many international flight routes, linking such destinations as Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the island's Defense Ministry said.
The ministry also said Chinese space activities may involve satellite launches.
In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday that Beijing has informed Tokyo about the planned airspace closure, but the area is outside of Japan's territory.
The area includes a part of Japan's exclusive economic zone near the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands, according to a Japanese government source.
Cross-strait tensions have been rising following talks last week in California between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Communist-led China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be brought into its fold by force if necessary, conducted a three-day military drill near the self-ruled democratic island through Monday and continued to send warplanes and ships to the area even after the end of the exercise.
Beijing has increased its military pressure on Taiwan since a visit to the territory last August by McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi.
China and Taiwan have been separately governed since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. Beijing has opposed any official contact between the island and the United States.
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