China's aircraft carrier navigates 10 hours North Philippines to Palawan Territory ; Ready for any Attacks

 

China aircraft carrier passed north of PH – report

 

China's first aircraft carrier making its way towards the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) for sea trials has passed through the Strait of Taiwan north of the Philippines.

 

The Liaoning, a refitted aircraft carrier built by the former Soviet Union and bought by China, took 10 hours to pass through the strait Thursday morning, according to a report from on board the ship by China's Xinhua News Agency.

 

The Taiwan Strait is a 180-kilometer wide stretch of water that separates mainland China from Taiwan. The Liaoning aircraft carrier passed through the strait escorted by two missile destroyers and two missile frigates, the report said.

 

Liaoning Captain Zhang Zheng was quoted as saying that they have kept a high degree of vigilance for foreign warships and aircraft that might approach the carrier group.

 

Previous sea trials of the carrier were conducted in relatively calmer waters off China's northeast coast.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the deployment of the carrier to the West Philippine Sea raises strains in a region that was already under much tensions from territorial disputes.

 

"Its deployment raises tensions and violates the declaration on the conduct of parties in the [West Philippine Sea (South China Sea)]," DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press conference last Wednesday.

 

"Its deployment must not be violative of international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). Its deployment must therefore not be for other than peaceful purposes," he said.

 

Xinhua reported that the training exercises of the vessel from the personnel to the carrier itself had been going well.

 

The Philippines has filed an arbitration case against China before the international Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.

 

The case stems from China's territorial claim over the entire South China Sea including portions of the Philippine's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

 

Tensions between the two countries reached its peak last April 2012 when a standoff between Chinese and Philippine vessels ensued after Chinese fishermen were found poaching endemic and endangered marine species in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal).

 

Philippine authorities that sought to apprehend the Chinese fishermen were blocked by Chinese Maritime Surveillance ships. China has since maintained control over the shoal leaving Filipino fishermen unable to fish in it.

 

Diplomatic protests were filed by the Philippines against China for the incident but to no avail. - INQUIRER.net

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Japan, Korea unites their air power to challenge China's ADIZ "All Air is mine dream"

The Chinese zone covers islands claimed by Japan and Taiwan

Japan and South Korea defy China air zone rules

Japan and South Korea have both flown planes unannounced through China's newly-declared air defense zone, officials from both nations say.

Japanese aircraft had conducted routine "surveillance activity" over the East China Sea zone, the top government spokesman said.

South Korea had also conducted a flight, its defense ministry said.

China says planes transiting the zone, which covers areas claimed by Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei, must file plans.

The zone includes islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan.

Japan controls the islands, which have been the focus of a bitter and long-running dispute between Japan and China.

The zone also covers a submerged rock that South Korea says forms part of its territory.

China, which established the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, says aircraft must report a flight plan, communicate and identify themselves. Those who do not could face "defensive emergency measures".

China's move has been condemned by the US and Japan.

America, which called the move a "destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region", flew two unarmed B-52 bombers through the zone unannounced on Tuesday

'Not going to change'

Japanese officials did not specify when the flights happened, but confirmed the surveillance activity.

"Even since China has created this airspace defense zone, we have continued our surveillance activities as before in the East China Sea, including in the zone," said Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga.

"We are not going to change this [activity] out of consideration to China," he added.

For their part, South Korea's military said one of their planes entered the zone on Tuesday.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said on Wednesday that the air zone issue had made "already tricky regional situations even more difficult to deal with".

"We've witnessed competition and conflicts among players of the region getting fiercer," he told Yonhap news agency.

On Thursday South Korea and China held talks on the zone, but failed to reach any agreement.

China defended its establishment of an air zone on Thursday, with a Defense Ministry spokesman telling state media it was "completely justified and legitimate".

US Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to express America's concerns to China when he makes a scheduled visit next week.

Mr. Biden would "convey our concerns directly and... seek clarity regarding the Chinese intentions in making this move at this time", a senior US official administration said.

Mr. Biden will also make stops in Japan and South Korea during his trip to Asia.

Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said China's air zone move in the East China Sea may have implications for territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

His comments come as China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its warship escorts headed to the South China Sea for what has been described as a training mission.

"There's this threat that China will control the air space [in the South China Sea]," Mr. Del Rosario told local media.

"It transforms an entire air zone into China's domestic air space. And that is an infringement, and compromises the safety of civil aviation," he said, adding it "also compromises the national security of affected states".

Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea. - BBC News

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