Posted November. 30, 2013 09:03,
Tensions are rising in Northeast Asia, as China on Friday sent fighter jets to its air defense zone in the East China Sea that it unilaterally declared last week while the United States and Japan built up their military forces.
The People`s Liberation Army Air Force flew its main warplanes, including Su-30 and J-11 aircrafts, into the newly claimed air defense identification zone, the air force`s spokesman Colonel Shen Jinke said. "Chinas air force will remain on high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats."
Observers say the move was an expression of Beijing`s strong determination after it failed to prevent the U.S. Air Force B-52 planes from flying over China`s air defense zone.
Japan`s Self-Defense Force plans to set up a new permanent unit of the Air-Self Defense Forces early-warning E-2C aircraft at Naha Base in Okinawa to strengthen warning and surveillance activities over the sea, Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported Friday.
The U.S. military also plans to deploy the Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance drone to its base in Okinawa next spring at the earliest.
Tensions on the South China Sea also escalated, as China`s first aircraft carrier Liaoning anchored at a naval port on China`s southernmost island of Hainan. The U.S. and Japan are watching the situation closely, conducting surveillance.