US says China's move on East China Sea airspace 'destabilizing'

From InterAksyon (Nov 25):



A Chinese military plane Y-8 airborne early warning plane flies through airspace between Okinawa prefecture's main island and the smaller Miyako island in southern Japan, out over the Pacific, in this handout photo taken on October 27, 2013 by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan. PHOTO: JOINT STAFF OFFICE OF THE DEFENSE MINISTRY OF JAPAN/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

The United States on Saturday sharply criticized China's move to impose new rules on airspace over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Japan, calling it a "destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region."

China's government-run Xinhua news agency published coordinates for a newly established "East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone," which covers most of that sea and includes the skies over the disputed islands.

China warned that it would take "defensive emergency measures" against aircraft that failed to identify themselves properly in the airspace.

The White House, Pentagon and State Department all voiced concerns about the move.

 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in a strongly worded statement, said China's announcement would not change how the United States carries out military operations in the region.

"We view this development as a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region," Hagel said.

"This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations."

Many countries including the United States have air defense identification zones, which extend beyond a nation's sovereign airspace. The United States requires approaching foreign aircraft to follow its air defense identification zone procedures only if they intend to enter U.S. national airspace.

But China's announcement suggests that foreign aircraft merely passing through that zone would have to follow China's procedures - or face unknown, potentially dangerous consequences.

One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China's move was being interpreted as "a direct challenge" to Japan's operations in the area.

Secretary of State John Kerry said freedom of overflight was essential to stability and security in the Pacific.

"We urge China not to implement its threat to take action against aircraft that do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing," Kerry said in a statement.

U.S. 'coordinating’ with allies

The White House said the "escalatory development" increased regional tensions and affected U.S. interests and those of its allies.

"We have conveyed our strong concerns to China and are coordinating closely with allies and partners in the region," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.

Tensions in the region are expected to be a topic of discussion when Vice President Joe Biden travels to China, Japan and South Korea in early December.

The United States has not taken a position on sovereignty issues in the regional maritime disputes, but has stressed the need for the free flow of commerce, a reduction in tensions, and peace and stability in the region.

But China has long harbored suspicions about U.S. interests in the island dispute because the U.S.-Japan security treaty commits the United States to intervene in defense of Japan if there is an attack on Japanese-administered territory.

The United States has a hefty military presence in Japan, including on the southern island of Okinawa, which is close to the disputed isles.

"The concern would be: what happens if China tries to regulate aircraft that are overflying the Senkakus," a second U.S. official told Reuters, using the Japanese name for the islands that China calls the Diaoyu.

The islands are believed to be surrounded by energy-rich seabed.

Xinhua said the rules came into force on Saturday and the Chinese air force conducted its first patrol over the zone. The patrol included early warning aircraft and fighters, it said.

Japan scrambled fighter jets on Saturday afternoon against two Chinese reconnaissance planes over the East China Sea, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.

Kerry said the United States had urged China to exercise caution and restraint.

"We remain steadfastly committed to our allies and partners, and hope to see a more collaborative and less confrontational future in the Pacific," Kerry said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/75473/us-says-chinas-move-on-east-china-sea-airspace-destabilizing