China Airlines In Skyteam?

And I thought Aeroflot was enough to put the ‘scary’ in Scaryteam :p :

China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest carrier, said it may join the SkyTeam alliance, extending its passenger partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Alitalia, which are part of the six-member airline group.

Joining the group will allow China Airlines to share resources with partners and extend its reach into the European and North American markets, said Roger Han, spokesman of China Airlines. The Taipei-based carrier did not say when it plans to join Skyteam, Mr Han said.

Carriers worldwide are joining alliances to share sales development and costs. SkyTeam includes Air France, CSA Czech Airlines, Cintra SA’s AeroMexico unit and Korean Air.

The SkyTeam group competes with Star Alliance, which includes Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International, and the Oneworld group, of which Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways is a member.

‘Joining the alliance will deepen our partnerships with member airlines and give us a global image,’ Mr Han said. ‘Cost reductions may also be achieved through joint purchasing in future.’ China Airlines operates a fleet of 59 passenger and cargo planes. The airline has so-called code-sharing agreements with Delta Air, Alitalia, Garuda Indonesia, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines.
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With Taiwan’s status I wonder if such a move into an alliance would be allowed and what would be the problems associated? I must say I was a little concerned when I heard this, it’s obviously a case of quantity over quality! But it says ‘may’ join and alliance which is an option taken by many existing carriers, so China Airlines in Skyteam is not certain.