PHL joins protest against Chinas air defense zone By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR The Philippines on Thursday joined several nations in opposing China’s new air defense zone over the East China Sea, saying it impedes freedom of flight and aviation safety. Beijing’s Air Defense Identification Zone or ADIZ drew protests and alarm from several nations led by the United States, which demonstrated its non-recognition of Chinas new territorial imposition by flying two B-52 bombers over the area. Japan, South Korea and Australia also opposed China’s latest aggressive move to assert military control over the disputed waters, home to a cluster of resource-rich islands claimed by Tokyo and Beijing. “China’s East Asia Sea ADIZ transforms the entire airzone into its domestic airspace, infringes on the freedom of flight in international airspace and compromises the safety of civil aviation and national security of affected states,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message. “The Philippines calls on China to ensure that its ADIZ preserves regional security and stability.” Manila is also locked in a long-running territorial rift with China over the South China Sea, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have overlapping claims. The Philippines, which filed a case last January against China before an international tribunal to question the legality of its massive claim, has adopted the name West Philippine Sea for the disputed body of water. Washington has declared that unrestricted access to the South China Sea and peaceful resolution of disputes are in America’s national interest. — JDS, GMA News Admin eugene
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 00:37:18 +0000
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