By WENDELL MINNICK and PAUL KALLENDER-UMEZU
TAIPEI AND TOKYO — The Pentagon and the US Pacific Command face new problems after Beijing’s announcement of the establishment of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea on Nov. 23.
China listed five “Aircraft Identification Rules” that have clearly upset the region. The rules state that “aircraft flying in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone should report the flight plans” to China. The list does not distinguish between commercial and military aircraft, said Peter Dutton, an ADIZ expert and director of the China Maritime Studies Institute, US Naval War College.
“The failure to distinguish is a concern to the US,” he said.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reacted to the announcement by calling it a “destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region.” The “unilateral” decision only “increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations.”
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