Monday 25 November 2013

US Slams China Over Defence Zone Declaration

The United States has slammed as "unnecessarily inflammatory" China's declaration of an air defence identification zone over much of the East China Sea, a move that has fuelled tensions with Japan.

"This announcement from the Chinese government was unnecessarily inflammatory," White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"There are regional disputes in that part of the world and those disputes should be resolved diplomatically.

"There should be in this case plenty of overlapping common ground to reach a resolution that doesn't involve inflammatory, escalating rhetoric."

Beijing said Saturday it had established an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) that requires all aircraft flying over an area of the East China Sea to obey its orders.

The zone covers the Tokyo-controlled Senkakus, where ships and aircraft from the two countries already shadow each other in a potentially dangerous confrontation.

Ties between the Asian powers have been strained for months by the row over the islands, which are believed to be surrounded by energy-rich waters.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament he was deeply concerned "as it is a profoundly dangerous act that may cause unintended consequences".

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