China warns foreign planes entering defense zone
Iran Press TV
Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:29PM GMT
Beijing has once again warned foreign military planes against entering its newly declared Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over an area of East China Sea.
On Friday, Chinese air force spokesman Shen Jinke and other senior military officials said they have recently conducted a long-range patrol inside the zone.
They say a number of foreign military aircraft have been spotted there, thus prompting the warnings.
China's air defense zone was criticized by Washington and its regional allies. But the Chinese government insists that any non-complying aircraft could draw a military response.
In late November, Beijing announced that foreign aircraft passing through the airspace, including passenger planes, will have to identify themselves to Chinese authorities.
In defiance of Beijing's move, Japan and South Korea also flew military aircraft through the zone while Washington sent two unarmed bombers into the airspace earlier this week. None of those aircraft informed Beijing.
The zone includes the skies over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute between Japan and China.
Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged Beijing to come to the negotiating table over a set of disputed islands in the region.
Abe said Tokyo would not change its position on the sovereignty of the islands that Beijing also claims.
On September 11, 2012, Tokyo signed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owners in line with plans to nationalize the archipelago.
In late April 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would "expel by force" any Chinese individual landing on the islands, following an incident during which eight Chinese vessels entered the disputed waters.
Senior Chinese officials have repeatedly called on Washington not to take sides over the issue.
JR/AB
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