A developing conflict over airspace near Taiwan underscores growing tensions between China and its neighbors, highlighting Beijing’s increasingly assertive posture in the region. The construction of a major new airport in the Chinese city of Xiamen, positioned just a few miles from Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Island, has raised concerns about Chinese efforts to assert control over shared airspace without coordination.

Kinmen Island, home to approximately 150,000 residents and administratively part of Taiwan, has its own small airport. Meanwhile, Xiamen, a coastal Chinese city with a population of five million, is building an international airport with three runways, scheduled to open later this year. Although close civilian airports and overlapping airspace are not unusual globally, the standard practice involves coordination of flight data and procedures to ensure safety. Taiwan’s civil aviation authorities have reportedly sought to establish such communication channels for years but have been rebuffed by China.

In 2024, China intensified the situation by activating new commercial flight routes that reduced the buffer zone between Chinese and Taiwanese aircraft from several miles to about one mile, increasing safety risks. Observers interpret this move as a deliberate challenge to Taiwan’s sovereignty rather than a mere oversight or logistical necessity.

This scenario follows a broader pattern of Chinese maritime and aerial assertiveness in contested areas. Chinese coastguard vessels have been involved in aggressive encounters with Philippine resupply missions within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. Additionally, fishing militia groups supported by Beijing have been used to create physical barriers, and Chinese military jets have harassed Taiwanese aircraft, further escalating regional tensions.

The underlying dynamic is linked to China’s evolving stance towards international norms established after World War II, which facilitated global prosperity and peace under largely Western-led institutions. China was a founding member of the United Nations and associated bodies under the previous nationalist government, and since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, it has significantly benefited from the international order.

However, recent years have seen Beijing challenge and undermine the multinational frameworks it once endorsed. Taiwan, for example, was expelled from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2016 and the World Health Assembly in 2017, largely due to pressure from China. Such exclusions have been criticized for compromising global aviation safety and public health, as Taiwan sits along major international air routes and acted promptly in early responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

China’s increased influence over international agencies has broader geopolitical implications. The British government’s past decision to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands partly reflected concerns that China could leverage institutions like the International Telecommunication Union, which it chaired until 2022, to challenge existing territorial control. Similarly, Beijing’s pressure resulting in Taiwan’s exclusion from ICAO reflects a strategy to achieve geopolitical objectives by capturing international institutions.

Moreover, these developments impact Taiwan’s diplomatic engagements. For instance, a recent attempt by Taiwan’s president to travel to Eswatini, one of its few diplomatic partners, was thwarted when Mauritius denied overflight rights, illustrating the reach of Beijing’s influence.

The unfolding situation near Kinmen airport serves as a microcosm of China’s broader push to reshape regional and global order on its terms, raising questions about the future of established international rules and the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.