Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera yesterday called on the international community to oppose China’s recently declared maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea and possibly over the disputed South China Sea.
Onodera discussed Tokyo’s concern over Beijing’s action separately with Philippine Secretary of Defense Voltaire Gazmin and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julia Bishop.
Separately, Onodera and Bishop also visited central Tacloban City, which was ruined by Typhoon Haiyan last month.
In his meeting with Bishop, Onodera said he mentioned that the international community “should meet to deal with this matter together” and that any unilateral action by coercive means should be opposed.
“If any country would establish a similar air zone in the South China Sea, that would bring up tension in the region and I mentioned that should be stopped,” he told reporters in Tacloban, where he visited a school serving as a shelter for villagers who lost their homes in the Nov. 8 typhoon.
He said that the issue should be resolved by dialogue.
The US, Australia, South Korea and other countries have also expressed alarm over China’s new air identification zone.
Onodera said that China’s unilateral action violates the spirit of the International Civil Aviation Organization treaty.
Meanwhile, three Chinese ships entered disputed waters off Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea yesterday, the Japanese Coast Guard said, the first such incident since Beijing announced an air defense identification zone in the area last month.
The vessels entered the 12 nautical mile (22.2km) territorial waters at about 9am off one of the Senkaku Islands, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Taiwan and China also claimthe islands, which they call the -Diaoyutais (釣魚台) and the Diaoyu Archipelago (釣魚群島) respectively.
The Chinese ships left the area shortly after noon.
It was the first time that Chinese coastguard ships had been spotted sailing through the waters since Beijing raised regional tensions with its declaration of the zone last month.
Chinese vessels have sailed in and out of contiguous waters around the islands, but stayed away from entering territorial waters since Nov. 22, a Japanese coastguard official said.
Additional reporting by AFP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS