US' absurd diktat to Chinese airlines won't take off

The Financial Times reported on April 30 that the US has offered to grant Chinese airlines the same number of flights between both countries as American carriers under the condition that the Chinese airlines agree not to fly over Russia.

According to the report, the US carriers have 12 weekly flights to China, while Chinese airlines have eight to the US. The American carriers said they have higher fuel costs than their Chinese counterparts whose routes over Russia to the US are much shorter.

The US pretends to be the "victim" and coerces other countries to be as foolish as it is. The "flight detour" offer is aggressive, arbitrary and absurd. The US doesn't have the right to force airlines of other countries not to choose a particular route. Chinese airlines can by no means accept the unreasonable offer.

An issue between the US and Russia is not one between the US and China, and Chinese airliners can not accept the US condition about circumventing Russia as airlines from other countries flying over Russia do not face any action by the US.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflicts broke out last year, the US and the West have launched a series of sanctions against Russia. However, those sanctions haven't worked in resolving regional conflicts. Instead, they have disrupted trade and aggravated inflation, leaving several economies teetering on the brink of recession.

The recovery of the world economy and tourism is picking up after the three-year hiatus due to COVID-19 outbreaks. China's international flights are back to 40 percent compared to the same period in 2019 during the May Day holiday, according to a travel report released on May 3 by Ctrip, a major Chinese travel service provider.

The US should awaken to the fact that more than ever, the world needs cooperation and not confrontation. The countries can only fall into isolation and be caught in their own traps if they willfully do otherwise.