Asia Pacific
U.S. Advises Commercial Jets to Honor China’s Rules
By PETER BAKER and JANE PERLEZ
Published: November 29, 2013 218 Comments
WASHINGTON — After an internal debate, the Obama administration has decided to tell American commercial airlines to comply with China's demands to be notified of any flights through a broad swath of international airspace that it has claimed as an air defense zone, officials said Friday.
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Territorial Disputes Involving Japan
Overlapping Airspace Claims in the East China Sea
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China Patrols Air Zone Over Disputed Islands (November 29, 2013)
After Challenges, China Appears to Backpedal on Air Zone (November 28, 2013)
China’s Move Puts Airspace in Spotlight (November 28, 2013)
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Even as the United States continued to send military planes into the zone in defiance of China's declaration, officials said they expected civilian planes to go along with Beijing's new demands out of an abundance of caution. Officials said they were worried about an accident or unintended confrontation that could endanger civilian passengers.
The administration’s decision came hours after China said it had scrambled fighter jets for the first time since declaring the zone last week, a move that was seen by Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States as provocative.
The caution reflected in the administration’s decision contrasted with that by Japan's government, which told its civilian airlines not to abide by the Chinese rules after they initially began to voluntarily comply.
China’s assertion of jurisdiction over the airspace, designed to bolster its claim to islands administered by Japan, is not recognized by any of the major powers in the region but the American decision may irritate Tokyo.
Earlier Friday, in announcing it had scrambled jets, China said it had identified two American surveillance planes and 10 Japanese aircraft in its newly declared air defense zone
Although there was no indication that China’s air force showed any hostile intent, the move, reported by official news agencies, ratcheted up tensions in a long-simmering dispute between Japan and China that could lead to a military miscalculation some fear could spiral out of control.
The United States, which is bound by treaty to defend Japan if it is attacked, directly entered the fray this week by sending unarmed B-52s into the contested airspace, defying Chinese demands that all aircraft notify the Chinese that they were coming in advance or face possible military action.
The dispute between China and Japan centers on uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The new air defense zone includes airspace above the islands. Analysts believe that China’s intent in declaring control was not to force a conflict, but to try to build a case that it has as much claim to the islands as Japan, which has long administered them.
But China may have miscalculated in making the move, experts say, perhaps not expecting such a strong pushback from the United States and Japan.
In Washington, administration officials confirmed that American military planes had continued what they called routine training and surveillance flights in the disputed airspace. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, declined to provide specifics of the American flights on Friday, suggesting that they were classified reconnaissance missions.
The Chinese account in Xinhua, the state-run news agency, said the 10 Japanese aircraft included the F-15 jet fighter and surveillance aircraft, though it did not say how many planes of each type were used.
An American surveillance plane was involved in a major diplomatic incident between China and the United States in 2001 when it collided with a Chinese jet fighter over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot was killed, and the American plane made an emergency landing on Hainan Island in southern China, an accident that badly damaged relations.
Although American officials acknowledged the risks of such accidents, they also said the Chinese air force in recent years has routinely sent its jets aloft to identify and occasionally shadow American military missions in Asian airspace.
On Friday, asked for clarification on China’s intentions regarding the new air zone, the spokesman at the Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, said, “The Air Defense Identification Zone does not equal territorial airspace, and is not an expansion of a country’s territorial airspace.”
The spokesman also said, “Aircraft of all countries, including commercial aircraft, carrying out normal flight according to international law will not be affected.”
Many countries, including the United States and Japan, have air defense zones, but the coordinates of the Chinese zone overlap with parts of the Japanese zone, setting up what defense experts have called a dangerous situation in the airspace above the disputed islands.
Mr. Qin, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, brushed aside questions about Japanese criticism of China’s air defense identification zone, or A.D.I.Z.
“Would the Japanese side tell other countries, does it have an A.D.I.Z.?” Mr. Qin said. “Has it negotiated with other countries while it established and enlarged its A.D.I.Z.? How large is its A.D.I.Z.?”
An American expert on such zones said Japanese aircraft would not be deterred from flying in the airspace above the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and the Senkaku in Japan.
The expert, Peter Dutton, the director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., said that because Japan regards the airspace above the islands as its own, the country would continue air patrols.
“Japan must continue to enforce its sovereignty or they could lose it to Chinese pressure,” Mr. Dutton said.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: November 29, 2013
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated which countries were pushing back against China’s newly declared air defense zone. It was the United States and Japan, not the United States and China.
Share your thoughts.
Even as the United States continued to send military planes into the zone in defiance of China's declaration, officials said they expected civilian planes to go along with Beijing's new demands out of an abundance of caution. Officials said they were worried about an accident or unintended confrontation that could endanger civilian passengers.
The administration’s decision came hours after China said it had scrambled fighter jets for the first time since declaring the zone last week, a move that was seen by Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States as provocative.
The caution reflected in the administration’s decision contrasted with that by Japan's government, which told its civilian airlines not to abide by the Chinese rules after they initially began to voluntarily comply.
China’s assertion of jurisdiction over the airspace, designed to bolster its claim to islands administered by Japan, is not recognized by any of the major powers in the region but the American decision may irritate Tokyo.
Earlier Friday, in announcing it had scrambled jets, China said it had identified two American surveillance planes and 10 Japanese aircraft in its newly declared air defense zone
Although there was no indication that China’s air force showed any hostile intent, the move, reported by official news agencies, ratcheted up tensions in a long-simmering dispute between Japan and China that could lead to a military miscalculation some fear could spiral out of control.
The United States, which is bound by treaty to defend Japan if it is attacked, directly entered the fray this week by sending unarmed B-52s into the contested airspace, defying Chinese demands that all aircraft notify the Chinese that they were coming in advance or face possible military action.
The dispute between China and Japan centers on uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The new air defense zone includes airspace above the islands. Analysts believe that China’s intent in declaring control was not to force a conflict, but to try to build a case that it has as much claim to the islands as Japan, which has long administered them.
But China may have miscalculated in making the move, experts say, perhaps not expecting such a strong pushback from the United States and Japan.
In Washington, administration officials confirmed that American military planes had continued what they called routine training and surveillance flights in the disputed airspace. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, declined to provide specifics of the American flights on Friday, suggesting that they were classified reconnaissance missions.
The Chinese account in Xinhua, the state-run news agency, said the 10 Japanese aircraft included the F-15 jet fighter and surveillance aircraft, though it did not say how many planes of each type were used.
An American surveillance plane was involved in a major diplomatic incident between China and the United States in 2001 when it collided with a Chinese jet fighter over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot was killed, and the American plane made an emergency landing on Hainan Island in southern China, an accident that badly damaged relations.
Although American officials acknowledged the risks of such accidents, they also said the Chinese air force in recent years has routinely sent its jets aloft to identify and occasionally shadow American military missions in Asian airspace.
On Friday, asked for clarification on China’s intentions regarding the new air zone, the spokesman at the Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, said, “The Air Defense Identification Zone does not equal territorial airspace, and is not an expansion of a country’s territorial airspace.”
The spokesman also said, “Aircraft of all countries, including commercial aircraft, carrying out normal flight according to international law will not be affected.”
Many countries, including the United States and Japan, have air defense zones, but the coordinates of the Chinese zone overlap with parts of the Japanese zone, setting up what defense experts have called a dangerous situation in the airspace above the disputed islands.
Mr. Qin, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, brushed aside questions about Japanese criticism of China’s air defense identification zone, or A.D.I.Z.
“Would the Japanese side tell other countries, does it have an A.D.I.Z.?” Mr. Qin said. “Has it negotiated with other countries while it established and enlarged its A.D.I.Z.? How large is its A.D.I.Z.?”
An American expert on such zones said Japanese aircraft would not be deterred from flying in the airspace above the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and the Senkaku in Japan.
The expert, Peter Dutton, the director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., said that because Japan regards the airspace above the islands as its own, the country would continue air patrols.
“Japan must continue to enforce its sovereignty or they could lose it to Chinese pressure,” Mr. Dutton said.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: November 29, 2013
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated which countries were pushing back against China’s newly declared air defense zone. It was the United States and Japan, not the United States and China.
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I just find it ironic that China can unilaterally impose their own unilateral fly zone and expect everyone in the world to blithely accept it. That's foolish. So if Japan creates one that intersects recently imposed one does that mean that the Chinese government will accept theirs as well? Or will they continue to make threats?
China's economy is not growing anywhere near where it has. It is around 2% growth as opposed to 7-8% for years. The hierarchy of the government appears to be in some turmoil and they are retreating in to a more oppressive, combative state of governing.
Don't forget, they have been making some subtle and not so subtle threats to Taiwan for decades. Island disputes, weapons the Taiwanese government has. They want to dictate to everyone else what parameters must be respected even if the ink is not dry on their declaration.
Isn't it ironic that they feel they can impose their will and use their military might as leverage in an area they have no legal standing to do so but turn a deaf ear when the international community condemns them for their forced abortions and sterilizations. I guess don'd do as I do, do as I say would appear to represent the mindset of the Chinese government. Nothing has changed .
The Obama administration shows once again, though, it's shoot first and rationalize (or dissemble) their actions later.
The East China Sea is one of the most travelled in the world, as is its airspace. China has not a shred of a right to encroach on freedom to travel in it.
Empire building.
200 miles.
What? I can't just do that? Didn't 1.5 billion Chinese just indicate that I can?
On the other hand President Obama has his hands pretty full right now. Judicial appointments, Iran, ObamaCare, Karzai, Afghanistan, Bibi, Black Friday. Does he really need to do this right now? Has anything here changed since WW 2?
They will not be quick to forget the humiliation they received under the imperial powers and particularly they are not going to quickly forget the humiliation they received from the Japanese after the first Sino-Japanese War and the incredibly humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki which apparently ceded over the Diaoyu islands to the Japanese who then called them the Sendaku islands.
Still fresh in the Chinese minds is the Nanking Massacre where hundreds of thousands Chinese were essentially executed by the Japanese in late 1937/ early 1938.
Since that date the Japanese have denied the massacre and refused to formally apologize for what the Chinese call the Rape of Nanking because of the enormous number of Chinese woman that the Japanese troops raped. .
Considering the background for potential conflict this is not an argument that the United States should enter. Instead if it is possible, the United States should enter the discussion as an honest broker. Urging the Japanese to apologize for the Rape of Nanking and to show its remorse cede back to the Chinese the worthless, uninhabited rocky Diaoyu islands
It is sad that Japan had chosen on 11 Sept 2012 to “buy” the disputed islands. In doing so it set aside the Understanding made at the 1972 China and Japan Peace Treaty to put the dispute on these islands into Cold Storage. This is a proven method to manage serious international disputes caused by historical legacies. China and India had last month refined this Cold Storage approach in their dispute over vast regions in the Himalayan Mountains.
China and Japan should create a new version of the Cold Storage Agreement over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. USA to date has not said Japan has sovereignty of these islands.
If not this crisis is a replay of the Cuban Missile Crisis in slow motion. But this replay of the Cuban Missile Crisis can lead to a nuclear war. Also China and Japan will not blink.
Why?? This is because Japan killed about 30,000,000 Chinese n 1931-1945 and with the use of biological and chemical warfare.
On 18 April 1941 USA put 16 medium bombers on aircraft carriers These B25B bombers attacked Tokyo and most flew on to the region new Shanghai. This very important battle of WW2 is known as the Doolittle Raid, google for more info. The Chinese saved about 65 US airmen. The Japanese army was extremely angry and for that they killed about 250,000 Chinese civilians when they Japanese searched for the airmen.
I mention this history as a reminder that, as important as it is to carefully weigh our ACTIONS in this crisis, it is even more important to weigh our WORDS. This is not a time for "bumper-sticker" slogans.
First, Japan/South Korea are becoming highly integrated to the Chinese economy, a fundamental market for growth/prosperity in this new century;
Second, Japan/Korea depend on US military protection against North Korea's nuclear threat. If this question is solved diplomatically, the existing defense alliance with the US becomes irrelevant. China will never be a military threat to Korea and Japan. China's rise is based on trade and not invasion of neighboring countries.
The key question in the Asia-Pacific region is the role Washington decides to play from now on. If the strategy is military/economic containment of China, small questions solved by diplomatic means can become big/dangerous problems. The US carries a major political burden since the longest military conflict in the region was the Vietnam war.
1. Any war that broke out would have to be to some extent constrained, because a war with China without constraints would be a total war between two parties with nukes and a variety of ways of using them. Neither side wants that. If war broke out, we'd not be occupying China. It just wouldn't make sense for us if all we aimed to do was protect Japanese territorial integrity.
2. The US failed in Iraq and Afghanistan because the wars there were both of the type known to military types as "asymmetric conflicts," ie, guerrilla warfare in which a military with far superior firepower (us) face off against an enemy in their own territory, that draws their fighters from a populace whose willingness to fight us goes up proportionally to how many people we kill. In a limited, conventional war not fought on the other side's territory, America wins. And these Islands, for all China's bluster, are as much an integral part of Chinese territory as Tibet: the few people there do not, and will never want to be part of China. They are Japanese who will always side with Japan, and insomuch as we are protecting Japan, us.
Actually, a third point that should be touched upon is that we would be legally bound to aid Japan if China was stupid enough to use force. Obama already has congressional authorization for this in the form of our mutual defense pact with Japan, which every congress has approved since the Second World War.
If USA is really interested in Peace it can get China and Japan to put this dispute into Cold Storage. The bigger border dispute, again a historical legacy, was recently confirmed in Cold Storage in a new Agreement between China and India signed in Oct 2013.
Taiwan, the Republic of China, has long claimed sovereignty over this territory.
It is a naked power grab. I applaud the US, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea in resisting Chinese power grabs in the Asia Region.
BTW, I agree that we would stop the Chinese from patrolling the California coast and Hawaii if they were in US airspace.
- Neville Chamberlain
- Will Rogers
On the other hand, Japan is earthquake-prone and resource-poor. Most of Japan's neighbors have more stable and fertile land than Japan does. In other words, Japan will always have strong motivations to grab other peoples' territories whenever the opportunity arises and Japan thinks that no one is strong enough to stop it, such as during the first half of the 20th century, when its neighbors including Russia and China were weak and in turmoil. Fortunately, for the rest of Asia, the US came to the rescue.
The Chinese, Korean, and other Asians are grateful to the US, and wish that the US will continue to keep a leash on Japan for the foreseeable future, especially when many in the Japanese government continue to whitewash its history from the period of 1870's to 1945.