China syndromeU.S. urges China to rescind unilateral air defense move to avoid regional confrontation

The United States yesterday (Monday) called on China to rescind its newly declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ), warning China that it was risking a dangerous confrontation with Japan and other East Asian countries.

Japan has already announced it was not recognizing China’s unilateral move.

The Guardian reports that the explicit request for China to “rescind” threats against unannounced aircraft passing over a chain of islands in the East China sea was made by the United States within hours of Vice president Joe Biden arriving in Tokyo for a six-day trip to Japan, China, and South Korea.

“The fact that China’s announcement has caused confusion and increased the risk of accidents only further underscores the validity of concerns and the need for China to rescind the procedures,” said Jen Psaki, the chief spokesperson for the State Department.

Biden’s trip, which was scheduled some time ago, was supposed to focus on U.S. economic interests in the region, but will now be dominated by efforts to diffuse the dispute over the airspace above the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The crisis began nine days ago when China unilaterally declared the enlarged air defense identification zone. The Chinese defense ministry ordered all aircraft flying through the zone to notify Chinese authorities in advance, warning that it would “identify, monitor, control and react to” any air threats or unidentified flying objects coming from the sea.

“That kind of coercive, strong language is worrisome, and we hope it is not tested,” a senior government official from the region told the Guardian, echoing growing concern about the possible risk of an accidental confrontation that spirals out of control.

The official told the paper that one possible scenario would see China and the United States, and possibly Japan, scramble military aircraft simultaneously, meeting in the air. Another scenario would see China intercepting an aircraft that enters the contested airspace without prior notice.

“Mishaps and miscalculations can happen, particularly if aircraft are scrambled to intercept an aircraft. You never know how these situations can unfold,” the official said.

Japan has so far been at the forefront of challenging the Chinese move. Japanese airlines passing through the ADIZ declared by China are not currently informing the Chinese authorities of their flight plans.

The aircraft of other countries, including those flown by U.S. and South Korean airlines, are submitting information to the Chinese. Both the United States and South Korea said they were complying with China’s instructions after U.S. and South Korean domestic civil aviation authorities said this should be done for safety reasons.

The State Department’s Psaki stressed that the guidance to U.S. airlines from the Federal Aviation Authority “in no way indicates” U.S. acceptance of China’s declaration. She said China had made the declaration “in an uncoordinated fashion” which was “inconsistent with standard practice,” adding that the United States did not believe the declaration to be legitimate.

Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said that “[The FAA guidance] is about the safety and security of passengers and is not, in any way, indication of a change in our position. This appears to be a provocative attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China sea and thus raises tensions and increases the risk of inadvertent confrontation.”

Biden, in an interview with Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper on the eve of his visit, which began Monday, said: “I believe this latest incident underscores the need for agreement between China and Japan to establish crisis management and confidence-building measures to lower tensions,” the vice-president said.

The United States has not officially taken a position on who owns the disputed islands, but it recognizes Japan’s administrative control over them. Last week the United States explicitly said that the U.S. treaty to defend Japan militarily if Japan were attacked applies to territory around the islands.

The United States flew two B-52 bombers through the zone without notifying the Chinese, and Tokyo has sent military aircraft, including F-15 fighter jets and AWACS surveillance planes, directly through the claimed Chinese zone without notifying the Chinese.

Japan’s confidence in the U.S. commitment, however, has been shaken by the FAA guidance to U.S. airlines to comply with China’s unilateral move.

One unintended consequence of China’s move may be a rapprochement between Japan and South Korea, two regional rivals with a history of acrimony. The regional official who spoke to the Guardian said that the two countries were expected to “compare notes” over how to respond to China’s move.

China, for its part, has so far not betrayed any sign of having second thoughts about its unilateral move.