It is unclear why Air Canada has made the change within the last seven days, with their spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur saying the carrier’s “policy is to comply with all requirements in all worldwide jurisdictions to which we fly.”
Taiwan is claimed by Beijing as a Chinese territory and has thus become one of China’s most sensitive issues and a potential military flashpoint. China has been pressuring airlines to refer to Taiwan as part of China.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement it was “deeply concerned” about Air Canada’s move to refer to Taiwan as part of China on the booking website and has asked the company to make a rapid correction of its website. So far Air Canada has refused to correct the error on the site.