State Department on US aircraft entering China's new air defence zone
(26 Nov 2013) Two US B-52 bombers flew over disputed islands in the East China Sea during a training mission on Tuesday, defying new territorial claims laid out by Beijing over the weekend, according to several US officials. The two unarmed bombers took off from Guam and were in the zone for less than an hour, thundering across the Pacific skies during midday there, the officials said, adding that the aircraft encountered no problems. While the US insisted the training mission was long-planned and was not in reaction to China's latest declaration, it came just days after China issued a map and a new set of rules governing the zone, which includes a cluster of islands that are controlled by Japan but also claimed by Beijing. The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are a source of rising tension between the two nations. Washington has long insisted that it stands by Japan in this dispute and will refuse to acknowledge any Chinese claims. US Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded to questions regarding the issue at a news conference in Washington DC on Tuesday. Referring to the announcement on November 23, that China has established what it calls a new Air Defence Identification Zone, Psaki said: "This unilateral action appears to be an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea." "At this point, our role is to continue to encourage both sides to move forward with dialogue, to express concerns when we disagree with steps that China has taken, which is the case that we've obviously done here," Psaki added. Japan has dismissed the Chinese defence zone as "not valid at all" and two of its biggest airlines announced on Tuesday they would heed a request from the government in Tokyo not to implement the new rules. Taiwan and South Korea, both close to the US, also rejected the new zone. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
