Airline keeps 'flexible' China references

Responding to United Airlines' "flexible" designation of the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong on its booking website - listing them differently from other places by currency, rather than name, to avoid indicating that those places are all part of China - the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that respecting the one-China policy is a fundamental requirement for international companies to do business in the country.

When selecting a global region on the airline's website, users can click on a map to get a list of destinations and their languages. In the Asian Pacific region, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong are not listed by name but by currency - the renminbi for the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong dollar for Hong Kong and the New Taiwan dollar for Taiwan.

Other places under the Asian Pacific region category include country name. For example, Australia is listed first by its name.