7/27/2019 China Sends Warplanes Into Air Defense Zone

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China sends warplanes into air defense zoneBy AP News Nov 29, 2013

BEIJING (AP) — China said it sent warplanes into its newly declared

maritime air defense zone days after the !"!# "o$th %orea and Japan all sent fli&htsthro$&h the airspace in 'roadenin& defiance of r$les Beiin& says it has imposed oer

the East China "ea!

China*s air force on +h$rsday sent seeral fi&hter ets and an early warnin& aircraft on

normal air patrols in the zone# the ,inh$a a&ency reported# citin& air force spo-esman

"hen Jin-e!

 A computer screens display a map showing the outline of Chinas new air defense!one in the "ast China# $ic% A$#

+he report did not specify e.actly when the fli&hts were sent or whether they had

enco$ntered forei&n military aircraft! +he nited "tates# Japan and "o$th %orea hae

said they hae sent military or coast &$ard fli&hts thro$&h the zone witho$t

enco$nterin& any Chinese response since Beiin& anno$nced its creation last wee-!

"hen descri'ed +h$rsday*s fli&hts as /a defensie meas$re and in line with

international common practices!0 1e said China*s air force wo$ld remain on hi&h alert

and will ta-e meas$res to protect the co$ntry*s airspace! Chinese officials hae said

commercial fli&hts are $naffected 'y the new r$les!

 2hile China*s s$rprise anno$ncement last wee- anno$ncin& the zone initially raised

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some tensions in the re&ion# analysts say Beiin&*s motie is not to tri&&er an aerial

confrontation '$t is a more lon&3term strate&y to solidify claims to disp$ted territory

 'y simply mar-in& the area as its own!

China*s lac- of efforts to stop the forei&n fli&hts — incl$din& two !"! B345s that flew

thro$&h the zone on +$esday — has 'een an em'arrassment for Beiin&! Een someChinese state media o$tlets s$&&ested +h$rsday that Beiin& may hae mishandled the

episodes!

“Beiin& needs to reform its information release mechanism to win the psycholo&ical

 'attles wa&ed 'y 2ashin&ton and +o-yo#0 the Glo'al +imes# a nationalist ta'loid

p$'lished 'y the Comm$nist Party*s fla&ship People*s 6aily# said in an editorial!

 2itho$t prior notice# Beiin& 'e&an demandin& "at$rday that passin& aircraft identify

themseles and accept Chinese instr$ctions or face conse7$ences in an East China "ea

zone that oerlaps a similar air defense identification zone oerseen 'y Japan since89:9 and initially part of one set $p 'y the !"! military!

B$t when tested $st days later 'y !"! B345 fli&hts — with 2ashin&ton sayin& it made

no effort to comply with China*s r$les# and wo$ld not do so in the f$t$re — Beiin&

merely noted# 'elatedly# that it had seen the fli&hts and ta-en no f$rther action!

"o$th %orea*s military said +h$rsday its planes flew thro$&h the zone this wee-

 witho$t informin& China and with no apparent interference! Japan also said its planes

hae 'een contin$in& to fly thro$&h it after the Chinese anno$ncement# while thePhilippines# loc-ed in an increasin&ly 'itter disp$te with Beiin& oer "o$th China "ea

islands# said it also was reectin& China*s declaration!

 Analysts 7$estion China*s technical a'ility to enforce the zone d$e to a shorta&e of

early warnin& radar aircraft and in3fli&ht ref$elin& capa'ility! 1oweer# many 'eliee

that China has a lon&3term plan to win reco&nition for the zone with a &rad$al

ratchetin&3$p of warnin&s and possi'ly also eent$al enforcement action!

“ 2ith re&ard to actiity within the zone# nothin& will happen — for a while#0 said J$ne

+e$fel 6reyer# a China e.pert at the niersity of ;iami! /+hen the zone will 'ecome

&rad$ally enforced more strictly! +he Japanese will contin$e to protest# '$t not m$ch

more# to challen&e it!0

+hat may wear down Japan and effectiely chan&e the stat$s 7$o# she said!

+he zone coers an area spannin& a'o$t 8#<<< -ilometers (:5< miles) from north to

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so$th# a'oe international waters separatin& China# "o$th %orea# Japan and +aiwan!

 Alliance partners the !"! and Japan to&ether hae h$ndreds of military aircraft in the

immediate icinity!

Japanese commercial fli&hts hae contin$ed to pass thro$&h the zone# en ro$te to

destinations incl$din& +aiwan# =ietnam and 1on& %on&! +hey initially had notifiedChinese a$thorities of their fli&hts as re7$ested# $ntil early this wee-# when the

Japanese &oernment $r&ed them to stop doin& so!

+he zone is seen primarily as China*s latest 'id to 'olster its claim oer a strin& of

$ninha'ited Japanese3controlled islands in the East China "ea — -nown as "en-a-$ in

Japan and 6iaoy$ in China! Beiin& has 'een ratchetin& $p its soerei&nty claims since

+o-yo*s nationalization of the islands last year!

+he anno$ncement comes an aw-ward time! Altho$&h Beiin&*s ties with +o-yo are at

roc- 'ottom# it was '$ildin& &ood will and m$t$al tr$st with 2ashin&ton followin& apair of s$ccessf$l meetin&s 'etween President Barac- >'ama and Chinese President ,i

Jinpin&! 1oweer# the zone fe$d now threatens to oershadow 'oth the isit 'y =ice

President Joe Biden to Beiin& ne.t wee- and one 'y A$stralian ?orei&n ;inister J$lie

Bishop e.pected 'efore the end of the year!

China will contin$e pilin& the press$re on +o-yo $ntil it reerses the decision to

nationalize the islands# concedes they are in disp$te# and opens $p ne&otiations with

Beiin&# said "hen 6in&li# a re&ional sec$rity e.pert and director of the Center for

 American "t$dies at "han&hai*s ?$dan niersity!

“China has no choice '$t to ta-e co$nter meas$res#0 "hen said! /If Japan contin$es to

reect admittin& the disp$tes# it*s most li-ely that China will ta-e f$rther meas$res!0