US aircraft may follow several regional carriers complying with China's new rules
New York/ Washington: U.S. airlines United, American
and Delta, have notified Chinese authorities of flight plans when
traveling through an air defense zone Beijing has declared over the East
China Sea, following U.S. government advice.
The United States
said on Friday it expected U.S. carriers to operate in line with
so-called notices to airmen issued by foreign countries, although it
added that the decision did "not indicate U.S. government acceptance of
China's requirements.
A spokesman for Delta Airlines said it had been complying with the Chinese requests for flight plans for the past week.
American and United said separately that they were complying, but did not say for how long they had done so.
Airline
industry officials said the U.S. government generally expects U.S.
carriers operating internationally to comply with notices issued by
foreign countries.
In contrast, two major airlines in Japan, the
United States' close ally, have agreed with the Japanese government that
they would fly through the zone without notifying China.
China
published coordinates for the zone last weekend. The area, about
two-thirds the size of the United Kingdom, covers most of the East China
Sea and the skies over a group of uninhabited islands at the center of a
bitter dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.
Beijing wants all
foreign aircraft passing through the zone, including passenger planes,
to identify themselves to Chinese authorities.
China's
declaration of the zone represents a historic challenge by the emerging
new world power to the United States, which has dominated the region for
decades.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have defied
the Chinese move by flying military aircraft, including giant U.S. B-52
bombers, through the zone without informing Beijing.
A U.S.
official said China's action appeared to be a unilateral attempt to
change the status quo in the East China Sea, which could "increase the
risk of miscalculation, confrontation and accidents".
"We urge
the Chinese to exercise caution and restraint, and we are consulting
with Japan and other affected parties throughout the region," the
official said.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is due to visit
China, Japan and South Korea next week, and will try to ease tensions
over the issue, senior American officials said.
China scrambled
jets on Friday after two U.S. spy planes and 10 Japanese aircraft,
including F-15 fighters, entered the zone, China's state news agency
Xinhua said. The jets were scrambled for effective monitoring, it quoted
air force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying.
The Chinese patrol
mission, conducted on Thursday, was "a defensive measure and in line
with international common practices," Shen said, according to Xinhua.
"China's
air force is on high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse
air threats to firmly protect the security of the country's airspace,"
he said.
However, Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said it
was "incorrect" to suggest China would shoot down aircraft which entered
the zone without first identifying themselves.
U.S. flights were "routinely" transiting the zone, U.S. officials said on Friday.
"These
flights are consistent with long standing and well known U.S. freedom
of navigation policies," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.
"I can confirm that the U.S. has and will continue to operate in the
area as normal."
A U.S. defence official said routine operations included reconnaissance and surveillance flights.
STRAINED TIES
Japanese
carriers ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines have flown through the zone
without informing China. Neither airline has experienced problems.
The
airlines said they were sticking with the policy even after Washington
advised U.S. commercial airlines to notify China when they fly through
the zone.
China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday there had
been no impact on the safe operation of international civilian flights
since the zone came into force, although China "hoped" airlines would
co-operate.
Ties between China and Japan have been strained for
months by the dispute over the islands, called the Diaoyu by China and
the Senkaku by Japan.
Mutual mistrust over military intentions
and what China feels is Japan's lack of contrition over its brutal
occupation of parts of China before and during World War Two have added
to tension.
"It's important for both sides to take a calm
approach and deal with the situation according to international norms,"
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told state broadcaster NHK.
Onodera said the Japanese military had not noted any Chinese aircraft in
the zone.
Although Washington takes no position on the
sovereignty of the islands, it recognises Tokyo's administrative control
and says the U.S.-Japan security pact applies to them.
Europe's
top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, said the European Union was concerned
about China's decision to establish the new air defense zone as well as
its announcement of "emergency defense measures" if other parties did
not comply.
"This development heightens the risk of escalation
and contributes to raising tensions in the region," Ashton said. "The EU
calls on all sides to exercise caution and restraint."
CRITICISM
China's
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang criticised Ashton's remarks, saying
China hoped the European Union could treat the situation "objectively
and rationally."
"Actually, Madam Ashton should know that some
European countries also have air-defense identification zones," Qin
said. "I don't know if this leads to tensions in the European regional
situation. European countries can have air-defense identification zones.
Why can't China?"
Although there are concerns over the increased
tensions, the United States and China have stepped up military
communication in recent years to avoid accidental clashes.
China's
Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist
Party's official People's Daily newspaper, praised Beijing for its calm
response in the face of "provocations," saying China would not target
the United States in the zone as long as it "does not go too far."
It warned Japan that it could expect a robust response if it continued to fly military aircraft in the zone.
"If
the trend continues, there will likely be frictions and confrontations
and even a collision in the air ... It is therefore an urgent task for
China to further train its air force to make full preparation for
potential conflicts," it wrote in an editorial on Friday. - Reuters
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