The Chinese government on Monday ordered its airlines not to pay a carbon tax imposed by the European Union, saying the EU's move had breached international civil aviation rules, DPA reported.
Chinese airlines must not pay the carbon tax to the EU and were banned from raising prices or adding fees without government permission, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.
The EU's announcement of charges for carbon emissions for flights using EU airports was "contrary to relevant principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the international civil aviation regulations," the CAAC said.
"China objects to the EU's decision to impose the scheme on non-EU airlines," it said, adding that the government would "consider adopting necessary measures to protect the interests of Chinese individuals and companies."
It said China wanted to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the charges, which the EU introduced from January 1 under an emissions trading scheme.