Qantas says has been given more time to clarify description of Chinese territories

Qantas said Thursday that it has been given more time to clarify how it refers to Chinese territories on its website, as a deadline set by Chinese authorities approaches. China's aviation regulator last month sent letters to 36 airlines asking them to remove references on their websites or in other material that suggests Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are part of countries independent from China, in a move described by White House at the time as "Orwellian nonsense." One airline that received a letter and declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue told Reuters it was dated April 25 and gave carriers 30 days to comply, indicating a deadline of May 25. "We made adjustments to our websites earlier this year and, along with various other airlines worldwide, have been given additional time to further clarify how we refer to Chinese territories," a spokeswoman for Qantas said.<br/>