China creates new air defense zone in East China Sea amid dispute with Japan

"China said Saturday that noncommercial aircraft entering a broad zone over the East China Sea must first identify themselves to Beijing, at the risk of facing “defensive emergency measures” by Chinese armed forces.

China’s establishment of a so-called air defense identification zone, announced by its Ministry of National Defense, adds a new dimension to the simmering territorial dispute with Japan and raises the odds of armed conflict."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...15f1a8-5416-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html

Also:

http://www.rappler.com/world/region...ina-air-defense-zone-japan-controlled-islands

China lands jet on first aircraft carrier

"China has successfully landed a jet fighter on its new aircraft carrier for the first time, officials have confirmed.

The J-15 fighter landed on the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, which entered into service in September."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20484592

Glad to know they've mastered that or it would have been an expensive ship with not much to do Be interesting if their attitude gets more aggressive with the Japanese now.

Japan urges airlines to disregard China air zone rules

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25087793

errmm JAL are abiding by this too!

Strange.....




Later...I misread the news report... so not so strange....

But the Americans arent....

US B-52 bombers challenge disputed China air zone

"The US has flown two B-52 bombers over disputed islands in the East China Sea in defiance of new Chinese air defence rules, officials say.

China set up its "air defence identification zone" on Saturday insisting that aircraft obey its rules or face "emergency defensive measures".

A Pentagon spokesman said the planes had followed "normal procedures".

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are a source of rising tension between the two nations.

Japan has dismissed the Chinese defence zone as "not valid at all" and two of its biggest airlines announced on Tuesday they would abide by a request from the government in Tokyo not to implement the new rules.

'Normal procedures'
"We have conducted operations in the area of the Senkakus," said US Colonel Steve Warren.

"We have continued to follow our normal procedures, which include not filing flight plans, not radioing ahead and not registering our frequencies."

He added that so far there had been no response from China.

The aircraft, which were unarmed, had taken off from Guam on Monday and the flight was part of a regular exercise in the area, a US defence official said.

The US - which has more than 70,000 troops in Japan and South Korea - had previously said it would not abide by the "destabilising" Chinese-imposed zone."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25110011#FBM312588

Maybe the American stance has encouraged those two airlines to follow suit

Actually both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airlines changed their mind and announced on Tuesday that they would ignore the Chinese requirements. The only airlines complying are Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific - the last-mentioned won't have any option but to comply as it's registered in Hong Kong but Qantas and Singapore Airlines could ignore if they chose to.

I rather think China will show its determination to impose its will on the region, possibly by shooting-down a foreign airliner; not to do so would show loss of face. But it will be careful to choose an aircraft registered in a country that could not retaliate militarily such as one from the Philippines or Cambodia. If this were to happen, there would, for sure, be much grandstanding and wringing of political hands in Washington, New York and London but after a few days, all that will die down. In any event, China will veto any UN action or statement critical of Beijing.

I don't think it's beyond the bounds of possibility that China will impose a similar air defence zone over the entire area of the South China Seas as part of the next phase of achieving its territorial claims.

You honestly believe that China would shoot down a plane to save face? I find that highly unlikely.

Yes I do. Over the last few months, China has become increasingly nationalistic and emboldened by her almost entirely unopposed incursions into territories claimed by others. The recent Hainan "fishing expedition" was a great success in every sense as far as China was concerned. The Philippines alone sent a warship to the Spratleys but she was frightened-off by China's show of superior force. Furthermore China is now preventing the Philippine Navy from resupplying a small PAF detachment living on a vessel grounded on a reef being claimed by the Philippines; it won't be long before that will be surrendered.

The only country that arguably could take on China and win, the United States, won't; the US couldn't afford it being far too reliant on China as a banker and for manufacturing. China knows she is top dog now, nobody can oppose her militarily and win.

China does not respect laws and treaties made between other countries and least of all, the UN; she uses her seat on the Security Council in a purely negative way - to oppose everything that is not in her national(istic) interest. As far as China is concerned, anyone who is not Chinese belongs to a sub-species that is inferior in every respect.

NAHA, OKINAWA, Japan — "An American carrier battle group and a flotilla of Japanese warships will arrive Wednesday near a vast stretch of ocean claimed by China in what is shaping up as a test of how Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the USA will stand up to the challenge."


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/26/japan-china-senkaku-islands/3746771/

No surprise that it is the George Washington battle group that is assembling near Okinawa but is it pure coincidence that HMS Daring, which left the Philippines on Monday, is also headed for Japan - and that our aged carrier HMS Illustrious may well be joining her there when her brief tour of duty as an 'aid delivery platform' ends this weekend?

But China's (sole) carrier battle group is steaming in the opposite direction - towards Scarborough Shoal and the Spratleys. Ostensibly as an escort to protect its hospital ship, the Peace Ark, which is currently anchored ten miles off Leyte - China claims that the ship, at 10,000 tons, is too big to moor closer. But the Chinese announcement makes no mention of any aid role for its warships and their crews. All the US military that was here has either been flown home in time for Thanksgiving or departed with the George Washington; the Shoal and the Spratleys are somewhat exposed.

So will Xi Jinping take advantage of the situation?

Japan and South Korea defy China air zone rules



"Japan and South Korea have both flown planes unannounced through China's newly-declared air defence zone, officials from both nations say.

"Japanese aircraft had conducted routine "surveillance activity" over the East China Sea zone, the top government spokesman said.

South Korea had also conducted a flight, its defence ministry said.

China says planes transiting the zone, which covers areas claimed by Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei, must file plans."


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/26/japan-china-senkaku-islands/3746771/

China scrambles jets in air zone to monitor US and Japanese planes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25155605

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/28/china-defense-zone/3778853/