China insists US airlines describe Taiwan as part of China

AP  |  Beijing 

says there will be "no room for negotiation" in its demand that U.S. airlines describe self-ruled as part of ahead of a deadline this week.

has insisted that carriers change references to on their websites to "Taiwan, China" by tomorrow.

separated from amid civil war in 1949 but continues to claim it as its own territory and has used its economic clout to isolate the island.

said today that China hopes the will urge businesses to follow China's requirements.

He did not specify how China would punish defiant carriers, saying only that it will "wait and see."

The has previously criticized the Chinese demand as "Orwellian nonsense."

The spat has added strain to a bilateral relationship already roiled by intensifying economic disputes.

has said he is ready to raise U.S. tariffs on $500 billion worth of Chinese imports if necessary and accused China in a tweet last week of unfairly manipulating its currency.

and are among the last major international carriers to still refer to Taiwan as its own region or country.

Many others, including Air Canada, and Lufthansa, have begun referring to Taiwan as part of China to avoid penalties or potential boycotts.

An from the Micronesian nation of said last week that it was forced to shut down due to a steep drop in tourists from China.

Chinese officials last year reportedly instructed tourist agencies to stop booking trips to to punish the tiny nation's diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, July 24 2018. 18:15 IST