Upstream Development Hit by Tensions in East, South China Seas

Tensions in the East China Sea were further stoked by China’s Nov. 23 announcement of a new air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in which aircraft flying through the zone are required to comply with its rules. As a result, Japan voiced its concerns about the ADIZ since it covers airspace above the disputed islands and overlaps with the air-defence zone claimed by Japan, BBC News reported.

Under China’s ADIZ, aircrafts have to report their flight plans, maintain two-way radio communications and respond in a timely and accurate manner to identification inquiries, the Chinese defence ministry statement said, as reported in BBC News.

"China's armed forces will adopt defensive emergency measures to respond to aircraft that do not co-operate in the identification or refuse to follow the instructions," the statement added.

China’s unilateral declaration of an ADIZ was criticized by Japan and its ally the United States amid fears in both countries that there could be an escalation into the "unexpected" if China enforces the rules.

"It could well lead to an unforeseen situation," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said as quoted in Reuters, while China was urged “not to implement its threat to take action against aircraft that do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.

While Washington – which has not adopted an official position on the Diaoyu/Senkaku territorial dispute – and Tokyo rejected the ADIZ, three American commercial airlines, acting on U.S.  government advice, gave notification to China of their plans to transit the zone. The move incurred the displeasure of its Japanese ally.

To reassure its East Asian allies, the United States made a high-profile challenge to China’s claim of the air space over the disputed area. The United States despatched a pair of “unarmed” B-52 bombers through the ADIZ on a military exercise which it claimed was planned long ago. The planes, whose movements were tracked by the Chinese military, flew pass the ADIZ without any incident. Tensions were further heightened with the deployment of the U.S. Navy’s new P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft to Kadena air base in Okinawa, Japan.