The US Must Bear the Consequences of Its Deliberate Provocation

On Nov. 26, two U.S. B-52 bombers flew a circuit along the border of China’s East China Sea air defense identification zone, passing approximately 200 kilometers east of the Diaoyu Islands. China’s Defense Ministry spokesman stated yesterday that the Chinese military had identified the flights immediately and monitored them in their entirety and that China was capable of effecting control over the airspace in question. U.S. aircraft entering the East China Sea air defense identification zone is a clear provocation, but it is also meant to probe China’s limits. The truth of the matter is that China has been prepared to respond to such an act since demarcating the air defense zone. It is resolved and has the capability to respond to any situation. If the U.S. and Japan are incapable of accepting these events in a rational manner and instead engage in acts of deliberate provocation they must be prepared to fully bear the responsibility for, as well as consequences of, any friction or conflict.

Within an air defense identification zone, a nation enjoys the right to locate, identify and control other nations’ aircraft. When U.S. planes entered the East China Sea air defense identification zone, the nature of the flights was unclear and their objective suspect, constituting a potential threat to Chinese airspace. China had the option to utilize tracking, monitoring and, in the event of an emergency, an appropriate degree of restrictive measures such as warning, expelling or intercepting the aircraft. If Chinese security was under threat, China could have defended itself in accordance with international law. During the recent incident, the Chinese military immediately identified the U.S. aircraft entering the East China Sea air defense identification zone and monitored their flight paths, sufficiently demonstrating China’s ability to effect control over that airspace.

The U.S. and Canada both established air defense identification zones as early as the 1950s. South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries bordering China have also delineated such zones, joining the ranks of over 20 countries and regions who have done the same. China has waited until now to establish the East China Sea air defense identification zone as a self-defensive action adopted under the principles of equality, and it is a reasonable, legal and fair measure. The demarcation of the zone also stands as a strong response to the U.S. strategy of containing China in its “return to Asia.” Ripples from increasing U.S. deployments to East and Southeast Asia have been felt in the region and have subsequently heightened tensions. The U.S. should take responsibility for the crisis in the East China Sea as well as the continuing controversy in the South China Sea.

The zone has been created in accordance with the United Nations Charter and other international laws and conventions. It is aimed at protecting China’s national sovereignty and the security of its territory and airspace, and is now a fait accompli. By identifying and monitoring aircraft entering the zone, China has strengthened its control over such flights and will in fact be able to effectively reduce and prevent misunderstandings and misjudgments. It is a positive and constructive measure beneficial to both the maintenance of security within its territorial waters and sovereign airspace as well as the preservation of order for normal flights in the region; the U.S. and Japan must respect this. If the two nations engage in acts of deliberate provocation they must bear the responsibility and consequences in full.