China appeared to make a rare U-turn on Wednesday over the implementation of an aggressive no-fly zone north of Taiwan, after Taipei complained about the “unheard of” original three-day restrictions.

Beijing had initially proposed to restrict all civilian flights in an area within the island’s air-defence identification zone from April 16 to 18, owing to “aerospace” activities, according to Taiwan’s defence ministry.

But it revised this down to just 27 minutes, from 9:30 am to 9:57 am, on Sunday after Taipei lodged a protest.

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The airspace in question “sits at a crucial location in East Asian air routes and is a main transport artery in the western Pacific”, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.

“China’s attempt to restrict flights for as long as three days under the pretext of ‘aerospace activities’ is not only almost unheard of internationally, but also has a severe impact on managing civil aviation, and deals a blow to aviation rights and safety,” it added.

Read more: The Telegraph