China’s military warned Japan and the United States that it is “fully capable of exercising control” over its newly declared air defence identification zone over the East China Sea, as US Vice-President Joe Biden headed for talks with Chinese leaders on Wednesday.
“The Chinese military’s determination and volition to safeguard the security of national territory and territorial airspace are unwavering, and the military is fully capable of exercising effective control over the East China Sea ADIZ,” defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said in a statement.
“A very few countries’ insistence on not reporting flight plans is not beneficial, nor responsible,” Geng said.
The US, Japanese and South Korean Governments said its military aircraft had crossed the zone without reporting to Chinese authorities as demanded since Beijing announced the zone on November 23.
The row over the zone is expected to dominate Biden’s talks in Beijing later on Wednesday.
The US Vice-President left Tokyo after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying the United States was “deeply concerned by the unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea.” The zone covers the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which lie near oil and gas reserves and are claimed by China as the Diaoyu and Taiwan as the Tiaoyutai.