POLITICS
China to ban ship movement near Taiwan on Sunday
April 13, 2023 - China will ban vessels from an area north of Taiwan on Sunday because of the possibility of falling rocket debris, a provincial maritime authority said.
The area around 160km from the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, will be closed from 9:00 am (0100 GMT) to 3:00 pm (0700 GMT), the maritime safety administration of China’s eastern Fujian province said Thursday.
The announcement came after Taiwan’s transport ministry said Wednesday that Beijing planned to impose a no-fly zone north of the island due to “space activities”.
The air restrictions would be in force from 9:30 am to 9:57 am (0130 to 0157 GMT) on Sunday, the ministry said.
China had initially planned a three-day shutdown but had relented following objections from Taiwanese authorities, according to AFP.