The Chinese government has instructed the country’s airlines to reduce the number of flights to Japan through March 2026, according to people familiar with the matter, signaling Beijing is braced for a protracted spat between the two nations.
The edict was made last week after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan inflamed China, but before Donald Trump’s back-to-back calls with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the recently installed Japanese leader on Monday.