The standoff between China and Japan threatens to exacerbate a seasonally weak period for Chinese airlines and make it harder for them to post their first annual profit in six years.Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have flared following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks on Taiwan, prompting China to order flight curbs to Japan, among economic retaliatory measures. “This setback will undoubtedly result in an earnings hit, creating downside risk to current consensus projections,” said ...