Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi Urge Blinken, Buttigieg to Proceed with Caution on New Flights Between US and PRC

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, sent a letter to Secretary Antony Blinken and Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging the officials to be cautious when approving new flights between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, citing unfair market practices and security concerns.

For example, The PRC currently does not abide by its existing bilateral aviation agreement.

The lawmakers explain, "COVID-19’s impact on passenger air services was devastating. For years, the PRC discriminated against U.S. aviation through slot constraints at China’s major airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the PRC unilaterally suspended the bilateral air services agreement with the U.S., effectively closing the market to U.S. carriers. This included strict limits on market access and exceedingly challenging operational, customer, and crew treatment rules...the administration must ensure that U.S. aviation workers, air travelers and airlines are not harmed by unfair competition from China."

Additionally, PRC airlines also continue to fly through Russian airspace despite the grave security risk posed to passengers and significant economic advantages provided to PRC carriers. 

"U.S. carriers rightfully stopped flying through Russian airspace at the start of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. Chinese airlines, however, have continued to use Russian airspace, providing them an artificial competitive, cost, and operational advantage that should be eliminated as part of any bilateral negotiations. U.S. citizens travelling between the U.S. and China should not unknowingly be subject to the risks associated with travelling through Russian airspace, and this practice should end," wrote the lawmakers.

The lawmakers conclude, "Should the U.S.-China passenger carrier market expand without the U.S. government addressing these significant issues, U.S. aviation workers, travelers and airlines will pay a hefty price tag. The U.S. must continue to give China the opportunity to follow the terms of the previous bilateral agreement, but the current conditions should also allow negotiating leverage that has not existed historically. Taking the appropriate time to establish the safety, operational integrity, and passenger demand for flights between the two countries is of the utmost importance."

Click HERE to download the letter.