China’s Airspace Claims Not Settling Well With International Community

China recently laid claim to an air defense zone overlapping both Taiwan and China, putting out a unilateral announcement on November 23^rd. Demands from Beijing that all aircraft submit flight plans when flying over the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea has been met with frustration by the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The zone covers a set of uninhabited islands that are not only disputed with Japan, but that are also claimed by Taipei. Taiwan’s Ma Ying-jeou has called for a peaceful settlement for the rising tensions and says that, though it will continue to send military planes through the area, it will refrain from conducting bombing exercises there for the time being.

China has "claimed" contested airspace.
Image: Shutterstock

The U.S., Japan, and South Korea have all flown aircraft through the Chinese-claimed air zone since the announcement was made, all without sending in flight plans to Beijing. The U.S. mission flew B-52s through the zone on a routine training mission that had been planned far in advance of China laying claim to the area.

Noncompliance with Beijing’s demands also made another point, according to one Pentagon official, who called it “a demonstration of long-established international rights to freedom of navigation and transit through international airspace.” Trying to claim such space is an aggressive power play, and one that has thus far not had positive reactions.

China’s history with Japan and Taiwan is complex as well, adding to the tension. Mainland China still claims Taiwan as one of its own territories awaiting “reunification” with the mainland since their post-WWII split in 1949. And Japan and China have a competitive economic and military history.

The United States has long been allies with Taiwan, but recent tensions with China seem to have everyone walking on eggshells. In October, lobbyists for Taiwan attempted to convince the Obama administration to sell Taiwan its most technically advanced military fighter jets, the F-16 C/D for defensive purposes. However, the administration decided to instead only sell upgrade kits for the current fleet of F-16 A/Bs operated by Taiwan.

“Considering Taiwan would only use these planes for defensive purposes, it was a short-sighted blunder on the administration’s part not to sell Taiwan the new planes,” opined Sean King, Park Strategies’ Vice President. “We can’t let ourselves be bullied by Beijing. After all, the United States is Mainland China’s No. 1 nation-state export market. Beijing needs us more than we sometimes realize.”

King also stressed the importance of standing behind our allies, which can be difficult when also considering some tenuous relationships, like China. “We, the United States, can never appear to waver in ours commitment to, or support for, Taiwan,” he said.