Leading US airlines bowed to Beijing’s demands on Taiwan this week despite White House demands that they refuse to comply.
However, China’s aviation regulator dismissed the carriers’ efforts as “incomplete”.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines removed references to Taiwan on their websites on Wednesday in line with China’s July 25 deadline for compliance.
But the airlines did not go as far as other carriers, including leading airlines in Europe, by referring to the island as ‘Taiwan, China’.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on Thursday that the US airlines had “started to rectify” the problem but that “rectification is still incomplete”.
The administration said it would decide on a response after paying “close attention” to the airlines’ actions.
The US government had urged the country’s carriers to ignore the instruction after China’s Civil Aviation Administration wrote to foreign airlines in late April ordering they refer to Taiwan as part of China.
China threatened to deny market access to those which refused.
The White House dismissed the demand as “Orwellian nonsense”. China’s foreign ministry hit back, describing Taiwan as an “inalienable” part of China.
It said foreign companies “should respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity [and] abide by China’s laws”.
British Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa, SAS and Finnair were among European carriers to comply almost immediately.
In a statement on Wednesday United Airlines confirmed it had changed its website and said it “abides by and respects local laws and regulations”.
Delta confirmed it was “in the process of implementing changes” and American Airlines said it had acted “to address China’s request”.
US aviation lobby group Airlines for America said: “The US airline industry must contend with a host of regulations and requirements.”
The island of Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949 when defeated Chinese nationalist leaders fled there.
China has asserted sovereignty over Taiwan ever since. The United Nations does not recognise Taiwan, but the US supplies the island militarily and maintains unofficial relations.
The US and China remain locked in a battle over tariffs on trade.