China says opposes all U.S. restrictions on Chinese airlines

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a news conference in Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it opposes all U.S. restrictions imposed against Chinese airlines, responding to a report that the U.S. Transportation Department has demanded Chinese carriers file their schedules and other flight details by May 27.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said flight restrictions imposed by Beijing treated all airlines equally and were due to efforts to curb COVID-19 related risks.

The U.S. government late on Friday accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Toby Chopra)