China scrambles jets after US, Japan planes enter new air zone

30 11 2013

China scrambled several fighter jets to monitor military planes of the US, Japan and South Korea in its newly de clared air defence zone over the East China Sea amid a call by President Xi Jinping to the PLA to enhance war capabilities.

The Chinese fighter jets identified and monitored the two US and 10 Japanese aircraft during their flights through the zone early Friday, Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Shen Jinke was quoted as saying by the state-run China News. He made no mention of any further action. “Several combat aircraft were scrambled to verify the identities” of US and Japanese aircraft entering the zone, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing an air force official. Colonel Shen said on Thursday said several fighter jets and an early warning aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducted normal air patrols in the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) that Beijing unilaterally declared last week. Colonel Shen described the move as “a defensive measure and in line with international common practices.” China’s air force will remain on high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats to firmly protect the security of the country’s airspace, he said when the PLA Air Force conducted its first air patrol in the area. President Xi, who is also the chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered the PLA to reinforce the party’s leadership over the troops, enhance its war capabilities and strive to build a strong strategic reserve force. Military training is critical to beef up the PLA’s war capacities and that trainings must focus on what is needed to fight a war and what it lacks most, Xi said while inspecting the Jinan Military Area Command in the east China. Beijing announced the establishment of the ADIZ over the disputed islands called Diaoyu by China and Senkakus by Japan. Till last year the chain of uninhabited were administered by Japan. China started challenging the Japanese hold with naval patrols and the ADIZ was seen as an effort to enforce its air control over the islands.