China rejects requests for talks with US on Taiwan spat

China has refused to hold talks with the US over how US airlines and their websites refer to Chinese-claimed Taiwan, adding tensions to an already strained trade relationship.

Beijing has long called for foreign firms, especially airlines, to refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Chinese territory on their websites. Taiwan is considered by China to be a wayward province.

The White House deemed these requests “Orwellian nonsense”, although according to Reuters many airlines have already made the changes to their websites, such as British Airways.

Some airlines are working with the US even though they do not want to defy Chinese regulations. American Airlines said in early June that it still hadn’t made the changes to its online site and it would seek council from the US government.

The US State Department has requested talks with China’s foreign ministry but were refused, Reuters reported, citing sources close to the matter.

“This has definitely become a foreign policy issue,” one of the sources told the newswire.

“US airlines should not be forced to comply with this order. We have called on China to stop threatening and coercing American companies and citizens,” the State Department official said.

It is not clear how China may seek to punish airlines that do not comply with their requests.