US warplanes defy Chinese air defence edict with B-52 flyover of disputed area
US warplanes have directly challenged China’s claims of an expanding territorial air defence zone, flying dramatically and without incident on Monday over a disputed island chain. ● The incursion comes on the heels of a scathing statement over the weekend by defence secretary Chuck Hagel rejecting the expansion of the Chinese air defence zone into the East China Sea as a provocative threat to regional stability. But the Pentagon insisted on Tuesday that the overflight was not a reaction to the Chinese declaration. While US navy ships frequently traverse the Taiwan Strait, it is extremely rare for the US military to issue a blatant show of force near Chinese-claimed territory. For years the Pentagon has argued unsuccessfully for a direct military-to-military communications channel to prevent potentially catastrophic misunderstandings in the region.
John Chan: US sends B-52s to China’s air defence zone ■ In a deliberately provocative move, the US announced yesterday that two B-52 strategic bombers conducted a training mission over the disputed Senkakus islands (known as Diaoyu in China) in the East China Sea, just days after Beijing declared an “air defence identification zone” (ADIZ) covering the area. The Pentagon’s claim that it was a routine planned mission lacks any credibility. The overflight was clearly designed to challenge China, in line with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s statement that the US air force would simply ignore the Chinese rules in the zone. Announcing Obama’s tour last week, US national security adviser Susan Rice declared: “Rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific remains a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s foreign policy… No matter how many hotspots emerge elsewhere, we will continue to deepen our enduring commitment to this critical region.” Rice’s comments are a warning that the US will not hesitate to use every means to ensure its continued hegemony in Asia.
PressTV: US, China flexing muscles in Pacific