The People's Liberation Army will retaliate if the Japan Self-Defense Forces fire the first shot over the disputed Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands, reports the Global Times.
After Chinese Y-12 utility aircraft were intercepted by Japanese F-15J fighters twice near the airspace of the disputed territory in the East China Sea this month, the nationalistic Chinese tabloid said that the possibility of a skirmish over the islands has appeared but said both sides are trying to avoid a war. The paper suggested that PLA fighters would have to shoot down a Japanese plane if a Chinese aircraft were to be shot down first. If a Chinese vessel is sunk, a Japanese ship of similar size must be destroyed in return.
Read the full story at Want China Times