Chinese bomber exercise affirms air-defence identification zone, penetrates Second Island Chain

An unusually large People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) formation of eight bombers supported by three surveillance and electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft exercised over the East China Sea on 27 November before flying a long distance inside the Second Island Chain.

Japan fighter jets scrambled to fend off China

JAPAN scrambled fighter jets to head off a Chinese government plane flying towards disputed islands in the East China Sea, Tokyo’s defence ministry said.

It is the first such incident to be announced by the ministry since China created its new air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in November last year, which has stoked tensions in the region.

Experts: China And Japan Are Not Going To Back Down From Each Other Any Time Soon

East Asia is trapped in a vicious cycle of escalating tensions, with China’s rising power giving Japanese hawks legitimacy in their bid to bolster the military — exactly what Beijing says it fears.

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“This is a battle about pride,” said Takehiko Yamamoto, international security professor at Japan’s Waseda University. “I cannot, for now, see there being any compromises.”

China threatens military action over East China Sea islands

China has claimed the right to take military action against aircraft that enter a newly declared “air defence identification zone” that covers an area contested by Japan, in a move that is likely to escalate an already tense territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

The Defence Ministry released a map and geographical co-ordinates for the zone, which covered areas very close to Japan and South Korea, and included the skies over islands that China claims as Diaoyu, and the Japanese claim as Senkaku.