Map of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone issued by China’s Ministry of National Defense (Xinhua)
The Chinese government announced the establishment of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Nov. 23, triggering a strong response from certain countries. Xinhua reporters spoke to officials and specialists about the decision.
Following practice of Japan, U.S.
An ADIZ is set up by a maritime nation to guard against potential air threats. This airspace, demarcated outside the territorial airspace, allows a country to identify, monitor, control and react to entering aircraft. It helps defend national airspace by allowing for early warning.
“It’s like a buffer zone or firewall, allowing a country to respond to air threats or unidentified aircraft, using measures including identification, monitoring, and control and reaction depending on the situation,” said Luo Yuan, executive vice president of the China Strategic Culture Promotion Association.
“China's establishment of the zone is based on the need arising from its security situation and completes its maritime defense system,” said Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the PLA Navy. “Collecting information on an aircraft’s course, speed and height also helps guarantee the safety of other aircraft in the zone.”
Countries including the United States and Canada have set up ADIZs since the 1950s, and yet China’s establishment of the ADIZ, which accords with international law and common practice, still triggers protests from certain governments.
Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang on Nov. 24 lodged a representation with U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke, in which China required the U.S. to correct its mistakes immediately and stop making remarks irresponsibly. Han Zhiqiang, minister at the Chinese Embassy in Japan also rejected the protest made by Junichi Ihara, who heads the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau.
“China’s establishment of the ADIZ was not meant to ramp up tension, but to clarify boundaries and simplify issues,” Luo said. “Blurred boundaries may cause conflicts, while clear boundaries prompt each side to act with more caution. China’s ADIZ demarcation has been a very continent one. The attitude of Japan and the U.S. shows double standards.”
More effective security
According to experts, standard international practice for a country detecting an aircraft in its ADIZ is to identify it via international channels, including asking it to report its course, height and speed.
Yin said when a military aircraft is identified, for instance, and its route, speed and height are found to differ from those of a civil aircraft, China can scramble fighter jets in order to identify, contact and inquire into its purpose. If the Chinese jets receive no response, they can choose to escort the aircraft, and expel it if it shows an intention to intrude into China’s airspace.
The statement issued by the Chinese government on Nov. 23 required all aircraft flying in the ADIZ to provide four identification means: flight plan, radio, transponder and logo identification. Aircraft must also obey instructions from the administrative organ of the ADIZ, which is China’s Ministry of National Defense or an authorized unit. China’s armed forces will adopt defensive emergency measures to respond to aircraft that do not cooperate.
Yin said China’s armed forces are capable of imposing effective control on the ADIZ and handling different air threats.
Experts point out that the establishment of the ADIZ does not suggest the expansion of China’s airspace or sovereignty, and the legal nature of related airspace is not changed. China’s ADIZ, therefore, will not affect the legal navigation rights of foreign aircraft.
“An aircraft entering a country’s ADIZ without entering the territorial airspace enjoys full freedom of flight, as long as it files a timely report and is monitored,” Yin said.
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