December 10, 2013
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2013 December 4 - 10 TOP3 [JCP]
JCP calls for withdrawal of China’s ADIZ |
China on November 23 established an Air Defense Identification Zone that covers a wide airspace over the East China Sea, including over some of Japan’s territorial land and waters. This creates a strong concern over a possible increase in tensions between Japan and China as well as in Northeast Asia. China’s latest move has two significant problems that must be addressed.
(1)
The first problem is that the ADIZ installed by China includes the Senkaku Islands, which are under Japan’s effective control.
The Chinese government’s statement treats the Senkaku Islands as its territory and establishes the ADIZ in a large airspace including the islets. This is an unjust act that is never allowed under international practice.
(2)
Secondly, the move deals with a wide airspace over the open sea as if it is China’s territorial air.
An announcement issued by China’s Ministry of National Defense on the same day lists rules that not only aircraft flying in the country’s territorial airspace but also ones flying in the ADIZ “must abide by”, which require them to “report the flight plans” and to “maintain the two-way radio communications.” The announcement also states, “China’s armed forces will adopt defensive emergency measures” in response to aircraft that do not abide by the requirements.
An Air Defense Identification Zone is set to identify aircraft approaching a nation’s territorial airspace and to prevent suspicious planes from entering its territory. However, the ADIZ set up by the Chinese government goes beyond implementing a measure to block aircraft’s lawless entry into its territory. It treats a large area of international airspace as if it is its own territory where its exclusive rights are in effect and thus goes against the freedom of flight in international airspace, the fundamental principle governing airspace.
The freedom of flight in international airspace is recognized as a general principle of international law based on rules stipulated by the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is the foundation of the international aviation order both civilian and military aircraft need to follow.
China’s announcement infringes on the freedom of flight, which is the core of the international flight order.
(3)
The measure China has taken is the opposite to what it expresses as the purpose of its implementation which is for “the safety” of territory and territorial airspace as well as for “the order of air navigation”. The measure, in fact, only helps intensify regional tensions and threaten general aviation safety and order. This is inconsistent with efforts made to establish peace and friendship in East Asia.
The JCP demands that the Chinese government retract the setting of the “Air Defense Identification Zone.”
> JCP condemns China’s declaration of Air Defense ID Zone (November 26, 2013)
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