Two Chinese airlines say they are cancelling flights to Taiwan next month amid a worsening impasse between Beijing and Taipei over flight routes in the Taiwan Strait.

在北京方面和台北方面围绕台湾海峡上空航线问题陷入日益严重的僵局之际，中国两家航空公司表示，它们将取消下月的两岸春运加班航班。

The cancellation of 176 seasonal flights scheduled by China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines in February is expected to affect tens of thousands of Taiwanese nationals returning from China to see their families over the Lunar New Year period.

中国东方航空(China Eastern Airlines)和厦门航空(Xiamen Airlines)取消2月份176班两岸春运加班航班之举，预计将影响数万名在春节期间从中国大陆返台探亲的台湾人。

Taiwan’s aviation agency said on January 19 it may not give permission for the additional flights as a response to Beijing’s activation of four aviation routes without negotiation with officials in Taipei.

台湾民航局1月19日称，由于北京方面未与台北方面官员协商、片面启用4条航线，因此该局考虑不核准两岸春运加班航班。

The modification of the flight routes by China in early January has drawn a sharp response from officials in Taiwan, who say the move violated a 2015 agreement and would cause passenger safety issues. It also prompted a rare statement from the de-facto US embassy in Taipei – the American Institute in Taiwan – which publicly noted its concern over the issue.

中国大陆在1月初改动台海上空航线之举，引起了台湾官员的激烈回应，后者称此举违反了2015年的一项协议、会引发飞安问题。此事还促使事实上的美国驻台使馆——美国在台协会(AIT)——罕见地发表声明，公开对该问题表示关切。

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has intensified diplomatic pressure on the government in Taipei since the Democratic Progressive party took power in 2016.

中国主张处于自治中的台湾是中国领土，自2016年台湾民进党(DPP)上台以来，中国大陆加大了对台湾政府施加的外交压力。