China syndromeU.S., Japan reject China’s unilateral East China Sea claims

The Chinese government this past weekend has declared the country’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), effective immediately. The zone covers an area in the East China Sea — two-thirds the size of the United Kingdom – which includes islands claimed by both China and Japan. China calls them the Diaoyou islands, while Japan calls them the Senkaku islands.

 The United States and the Japan rejected China’s unilateral moved, expressing concerns over the declaration.

Both countries also said they would not abide by it.

The New York Times reports that on Tuesday, two long-range American B-52 bombers have conducted what Pentagon officials described as a routine training mission through the airspace China declared as its air defense identification zone.American officials said the two B-52s carried out a mission that had been planned long in advance of the Chinese announcement last weekend, and that the United States military would continue to assert its right to fly through what it regards as international airspace.

International Business Times reports that in China, many citizens are applauding the move in a display of nationalism. “This is something that is worth fighting for,” a blogger posted on TeaLeafNation, a Chinese-issues news blog. “This is a danger we must have the courage to shoulder,” said Lin Zhibo, a journalist at the Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily. On Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, more than 150,000 posts expressed views supporting the government’s move. One user posted: the map “lets the little Japanese know that our power does not stop at the tip of our tongue.”

China’s Ministry of National Defense issued the official declaration at 10am, 23 November 2013, announcing that flight plans and other identifying credentials will be required for all aircrafts operating inside the disputed zone. “If an aircraft doesn’t supply its flight plan, China’s armed forces will adopt emergency defensive measures in response,” according to state-run Xinhua News Agency. “The announcement states that China’s Ministry of National Defense has full administrative rights over the zone,” the agency reported.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel released an official statement saying that “The United States is deeply concerned by the People’s Republic of China announcement today that it is establishing an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea. We view this development as a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region. This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations.” Hagel added that “This announcement by the People’s Republic of China will not in any way change how the United States conducts military operations in the region”

In the Statement issued hours after China’s declaration, Hagel expressed America’s commitment to Japan’s security. “The United States is conveying these concerns to China through diplomatic and military channels, and we are in close consultation with our allies and partners in the region, including Japan. We remain steadfast in our commitments to our allies and partners. The United States reaffirms its longstanding policy that Article V of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands.”

Japan’s foreign minister Fumio Kishida insist that China’s “one-sided action” may “trigger unpredictable events” and “cannot be allowed.” In response, China’s Foreign Minister, Qing Gang declared “Japan has no right to make irresponsible remarks or wage deliberate offences over China’s establishment of the East China Sea ADIZ.”