Pakistan briefly blocked Taiwanese airlines from its airspace under a "one China" justification, then reversed the move after pushback, and Washington is treating the reversal as a win against Chinese pressure tactics — bad news for Beijing's efforts to isolate Taiwan.

• Pakistan's defense minister said only Chinese airlines could fly over Pakistani airspace, but hours later Pakistan's aviation authority approved China Airlines and EVA Air to resume using that airspace through next spring.
• The US State Department said it welcomes the reversal and accused Beijing of pressuring other countries to cut off Taiwan, calling it a threat to international peace and commerce.
• Washington says airline routing decisions should be based on safety and technical factors, not China's political demands.
• Taiwan's government strongly criticized Pakistan for bowing to China and politicizing airspace, raising flight-safety concerns, while China's foreign ministry defended the "one China" principle and claimed Taiwanese travel abroad faces no obstacles.

Outlook: Expect China to keep pressuring other countries to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and commercially, with the US likely to keep pushing back publicly.