Airfare to China Soars After Iran Airstrikes
"Rising Local Hostility... A Reflection of Growing Anxiety"
After the US and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran, the price of one-way airline tickets from neighboring countries to China has soared.
After the airstrikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, Middle Eastern countries including Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates closed or restricted their airspace, resulting in large-scale flight cancellations and delays. Yonhap News
Taiwanese media outlet FTV reported on March 1 that, following the airstrikes on February 28, the price of tickets from Damascus, the capital of Syria, to China surged to as high as 3 million yuan (approximately 643.14 million won).
Taiwanese economic expert He Tian Yin interpreted this steep price increase as a reflection of anxiety among Chinese nationals in Iran. He identified strong anti-China sentiment spreading throughout Iranian society as a key reason.
The flight price from Damascus, Syria to Beijing, China is indicated as approximately 3.41 million yuan. Facebook
He explained, "The facial recognition and internet surveillance technologies provided by China to the Iranian government have been used by Iranian authorities for citizen control," adding, "Due to rising hostility from locals, Chinese nationals facing an increased risk of group assaults may be willing to bear exorbitant costs."
The Chinese government, through its official social networking service, had already advised its citizens to evacuate on February 27, just before the airstrikes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that one Chinese national was killed in the airstrikes, and as of March 2, around 3,000 people had completed their evacuation.
China criticized the US and Israel's attacks as violations of international law. At a regular briefing on March 2, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned, "Military strikes without approval from the UN Security Council seriously undermine Iran's sovereignty and security."
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