American and Delta notify China of flights through disputed zone

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/30/china-japan-zone-american-delta-notify

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Two of the biggest US airlines, American and Delta, have confirmed that they have notified Chinese authorities of flight plans when travelling through an air-defence zone Beijing has declared over the East China Sea, in line with US government advice.

The US said on Friday it expected US carriers to operate in line with so-called notices to airmen issued by foreign countries, although it added that the decision did "not indicate US government acceptance of China's requirements".<br /> <br />On Friday, China scrambled jets after two US spy planes and 10 Japanese aircraft, including F-15 fighters, entered the zone, China's state news agency Xinhua said. The jets were used for effective monitoring, it quoted air force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying. US officials said flights were "routinely" transiting the zone. Earlier in the week, the US flew two giant B52 bombers through the zone without informing Beijing.

"These flights are consistent with long standing and well known US freedom of navigation policies," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. "I can confirm that the US has and will continue to operate in the area as normal."

A US defence official said routine operations included reconnaissance and surveillance flights.

On Saturday, a spokesman for Delta Airlines said it had been complying with Chinese requests for flight plans for the past week. American Airlines said it was also complying, but declined to say for how long it had done so.

Airline industry officials said the US government generally expects that US carriers operating internationally comply with notices issued by foreign countries. In contrast, two major airlines in Japan, ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have agreed with the Japanese government that they will fly through the zone without notifying China. Neither airline has experienced problems.

China published coordinates for the zone last weekend. The area, about two-thirds the size of the United Kingdom, covers a group of uninhabited islands at the centre of a bitter row between Beijing and Tokyo. The islands are called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan. Beijing wants all foreign aircraft passing through the zone – including passenger planes – to identify themselves to Chinese authorities.

An official of the US administration said China's action appeared to be a unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea, which could "increase the risk of miscalculation, confrontation and accidents". "We urge the Chinese to exercise caution and restraint, and we are consulting with Japan and other affected parties throughout the region," the official said.<br /> <br />US vice-president Joe Biden is due to visit China, Japan and South Korea next week, and will try to ease tensions over the issue, senior US officials said.

Ties between China and Japan have been strained for months. Mutual mistrust over military intentions and what China feels is Japan's lack of contrition over its brutal occupation of parts of China before and during the second world war have added to tension.

"It's important for both sides to take a calm approach and deal with the situation according to international norms," Japanese defence minister Itsunori Onodera told state broadcaster NHK on Saturday. Onodera said the Japanese military had not noted any Chinese aircraft in the zone.

Although Washington takes no position on the sovereignty of the islands, it recognises Tokyo's administrative control and says the US-Japan security pact applies to them.

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