Japan summons China's envoy over air defense zone
Iran Press TV
Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:46AM GMT
Japan has summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge a protest after Beijing declared an 'air defense identification zone' over the disputed islands of the East China Sea.
On Monday, Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki called in Cheng Yonghua to protest at Beijing's unilateral move.
On November 23, China issued a map of the zone and a set of rules that urge all aircrafts to notify Chinese authorities while passing over the area.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that China's new maritime air defense zone is unenforceable and dangerous.
Addressing a parliamentary session, Abe said that the plan alters the state of affairs in the East China Sea and escalates a tense situation.
"The measures by the Chinese side have no validity whatsoever for Japan, and we demand China revoke any measures that could infringe upon the freedom of flight in international airspace," Abe said during an Upper House session. "It can invite an unexpected occurrence and it is a very dangerous thing as well."
On Monday, in a reciprocal move, China summoned Japan's ambassador over Tokyo's response to the move.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a press briefing that "Officials of the Chinese Foreign Ministry have summoned the Japanese ambassador to China to express China's strong dissatisfaction and solemn protest regarding Japan's unreasonable hype over China's [establishment of] an air defense identification zone."
China's Defense Ministry described Japan's objections to the air defense identification zone as "absolutely groundless and unacceptable."
Beijing has also said that it lodged a formal complaint with the United States about "irresponsible remarks" by Washington about the defense zone.
The complaint came after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the United States is "deeply concerned" about China's action.
"This unilateral action constitutes an attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea," Kerry said in a statement released on November 23.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said on the same day, "Since the 1950s, over 20 countries, including some big powers and China's neighboring countries, have set up air defense identification zones."
"Moreover, a relevant country established its air defense identification zone as early as 1969, which is also about 130 km from the Chinese mainland at its closest distance," he added, in an apparent reference to Japan.
Japan and China have long been engaged in a dispute over the sovereignty of the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and the Diaoyu in Chinese.
The islands have been under Japanese administrative control since the reversion of Okinawa to Japan from the US administrative rule in 1972.
YH/HSN
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