You are here: Home > Opinion > Editor's Pick

Accusations about China's air defense zone unjustified

By Tao Duanfang: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, November 26, 2013

Adjust font size:

China dismissed accusations about its air defense zone as unjustified. [China.org.cn]

China's announcement of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Nov. 23 has attracted worry and anger from Japan and America, but China insists that the move will bring peace to the East China Sea as well as the world.

Japan has called the set-up a "peace-disturbing act," and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel have both said the U.S. is "deeply concerned."

Kerry said "this unilateral action constitutes an attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea," and "will only increase tensions in the region and create risks of an incident."

In fact, the concept of an ADIZ was introduced by the U.S. in 1950. The ADIZ is an area of the airspace established by a coastal state beyond its territorial airspace to rapidly identify, monitor, control and react to potential threats from aircraft entering the zone.

Many countries, including the U.S. and Japan, have ADIZs of their own. Japan, in particular, is not in the position to make irresponsible remarks and malicious accusations against China. On May 10, 1972, Japan established the Yonaguni ADIZ, covering the disputed Diaoyu Islands. In June 2010, Japan unilaterally extended the ADIZ line westwards by 22 kilometers, resulting in an overlap with the Taiwanese ADIZ. The closest distance from the western side of Japan's zone to China's mainland is just 130 kilometers.

READ: China's upgraded periphery diplomacy

For decades, the disputed islands in East China Sea have been a source of tension between China and Japan. China has consistently advocated "putting the disputes to one side."

Unfortunately, it is the Japanese side that has made provoking moves to break the balance, and no longer even recognizes the existence of the disputes. Last September, Japan went as far as to "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands.

The U.S. has repeatedly promised "not to take sides" and called for "maintaining the status quo." But Kerry and Hagel's inappropriate remarks clearly show that the U.S. "not take sides" is sheer hypocrisy. The so-called "status quo" for them means the disputed areas should be under Japan's control and only the Japanese side is authorized to set up an ADIZ there. It is totally illogical for the U.S. to admit existing sovereignty disputes on one side but only favor one-sided action over the other.

The establishment of an ADIZ is not prescribed by any international law. Typically, nations can take independent actions to draw up a zone of their own, but the enforcement power of the zone is completely based on national and military strength.

China has established its ADIZ at a late point. The one-sided "status quo" enforced by the U.S. and Japan is not acceptable to China. China's declaration of its own ADIZ is an effort to assert its sovereignty over the disputed islands, not an attempt to disturb peace in the East China Sea.

The author is a researcher of African issues with the Far & Wide Journal.

The article was translated by Liu Qiang. The original unabridged version was published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.