US airlines tell China of flights in defense zone
Print Edition
US airlines United, American and Delta have notified Chinese authorities of flight plans when traveling through an air defense zone China has established over the East China Sea, following US government advice.
The zone is likely to dominate the agenda of a visit to Asia this week of US Vice President Joe Biden. He will travel to Japan, China, and South Korea and try to ease tensions, senior American officials said.
The area covers most of the East China Sea and the skies over the Diaoyu Islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.
Beijing wants all foreign aircraft passing through the zone to identify themselves to Chinese authorities.
On Friday, the United States said it expected US carriers to operate in line with notices issued by foreign countries, although it said this did “not indicate US government acceptance of China’s requirements.”
Disturbing Tokyo
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 been doing so.
Airline industry officials said the US government generally expected US carriers operating internationally to comply with notices issued by foreign countries.
In contrast, Japanese carriers ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines have flown through the zone without informing China, under an agreement with the Tokyo government.
Any sign that the US was even tacitly giving a nod to China’s air defense zone would disturb Tokyo, which is hoping for a display of solidarity when Biden visits Japan today.
“We will have in-depth talks about it,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted as saying by Japan’s Kyodo news agency. “Japan and the United States will address it in close coordination with each other.”
Japan’s foreign affairs ministry said it had raised China’s declaration of the air defense zone with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the international aviation regulatory body.
Since the zone came into force there has been no impact on the safe operation of international civilian flights, China’s foreign ministry said last week. Still, China “hoped” airlines would cooperate, the ministry said.
The US, Japan and South Korea have all flown military aircraft, including giant US B-52 bombers, through the zone without informing China.
China scrambled jets on Friday after two US spy planes and 10 Japanese aircraft, including F-15 fighters, entered the zone, Xinhua news agency said. The jets were scrambled for effective monitoring, it quoted air force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying.
Defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said it was “incorrect” to suggest China would shoot down aircraft which entered the zone without first identifying themselves.
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