China sends military jets after U.S., Japan fly over islands
(ANSA) – Rome, November 29 – China said Friday that it sent military jets to follow aircraft from the United States and Japan that were flying over disputed islands in the country’s newly declared air defence zone in the East China Sea.
BBC reported on its website that the controversy came after China said last week that all aircraft crossing this new zone must identify themselves or face “defensive emergency measures”.
However, the US, Japan and South Korea say they have since defied the ruling and flown military aircraft in the area.
The disputed islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are at the centre of a long dispute between Tokyo and Beijing. They are also claimed by Taiwan, and there is a submerged rock known as Ieodo that South Korea claims.
The establishment of the new zone has caused widespread anger, the BBC said, with the US calling it a “destabilising attempt to alter the status quo in the region”.