China on Thursday lauded India’s national carrier Air India’s decision to change the name of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei on its website, saying that the move reflects tha airline’s recognition of the ‘One China’ principle.

“The Chinese government's position on this issue cannot be more clear-cut, and India and other countries around the world are quite clear about it. By taking the relevant step, Air India shows respect for the objective fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China, which is also the common sense and international consensus,” China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters at a press conference in Beijing.

“I want to stress once again that it is the basic requirement for any foreign enterprise operating in China to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by China's laws and respect the national feelings of the Chinese people,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that the flagship carrier’s decision came following instructions from the federal government. An Air India spokesperson told PTI that the airline followed the procedure as advised by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The MEA said that its advice to Air India was in consistent with global practice and Indian policy. “The decision of Air India is consistent with international norms and our own position on Taiwan since 1949,” MEA spokesperson Ravish Kumar said

Since Wednesday, the Indian airline has been listing Taiwan as 'Taipei, Taoyuan International Airport, TPE, Chinese Taipei' on its website. While Air India does not have flights to Chinese Taipei, it has a code share with Air China. This is why it finds a place in the airline’s list of destinations.

Air India’s decision came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier asked foreign airlines and hotels to list Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao as parts of China on their websites. 

The United States has defied the CAAC directive and US airlines continue with the usage of Taiwan. “We have told China that the United States strongly objects to China’s attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content,” the US Embassy in China said in a statement published by The New York Times last week, echoing a similar statement issued by the White House earlier in May.

“US airlines should not be forced to comply with this order,” the statement added.

Amid reports that the US side had requested a discussion on the issue, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated last week that the “One China principle” is at the core of China-US relations, which is “something not negotiable”.

“The US government and companies know very well the Chinese government's position on the Taiwan issue. Our position has never changed and remains consistent and clear,” Lu Kang said.

“The relevant notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China demonstrates the Chinese government's consistent and firm position on the issue of the One China principle, and the relevant demand is completely legitimate and lawful,” he stressed, adding that “the US government should have urged the relevant [American] enterprises to observe the One China principle and rectify the relevant websites as soon as possible.”

[Cover Photo: A screenshot of Air India's website reflecting the change in Taiwan's name.]