PM Abe to discuss China air-defence zone at Japan-Asean summit
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Says Tokyo cannot accept move but vows to work to improve ties with Beijing
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that during the Japan-Asean commemorative summit this weekend he would discuss with Asean leaders China’s new Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in East Asia, which threatens to jeopardise aviation freedom in the region.
Japan and China – both of whom are key strategic partners with Asean – are at loggerheads over China’s establishment of ADIZ in East Asia, which China claims protects its sovereign territory.
Beijing has demanded that all aircraft entering the newly established security zone must report their flight plans and other identification details to Chinese authorities.
China will adopt “defensive emergency measures” if any foreign aircraft – civilian or military – do not comply with the new rules.
Abe said Japan regarded China’s establishment of the ADIZ as endangering freedom of aviation. It would change the status quo of aviation orders regarding international air space, he said.
“In addition, the ADIZ is set over Senkaku Island, which is an integral part of the territory of Japan. Japan cannot accept its establishment,” Abe told a group of visiting journalists from Asean.
Moreover, the ADIZ would apply to all aircraft – not just Japanese planes – which would affect the order of the East Asian region, including the South China Sea, Abe said.
“Along with the US and Asean, who share a common interest in the region’s security, we have adhered to, and maintained, the international aviation order governing international airspace in the region,” he said.
However, Abe said the dispute would not jeopardise Japan’s relations with China. Instead, Japan will endeavour to develop stronger ties with its neighbour so that future disputes between the nations can be settled peacefully. “My door for dialogue stays open and I call on China to retain the same attitude,” he said.
Abe will meet with Asean leaders during the summit this weekend to strengthen relations and map out plans for future cooperation. The summit will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of Japan-Asean relations.
“Now, Asean is driving the engine of the world economy. It is indeed a very important and essential trend for the development of the Japanese economy,” he said.
On security matters, Abe said he would outline his new security-policy initiative which positions Japan as a “proactive contributor to peace” in the world.
Japan’s parliament passed a new law in November establishing a National Security Council. The council is now developing a national security strategy to facilitate Japan’s proactive role in world peace.
The Japanese constitution restricts the nation’s military to a self-defence role. Japanese troops have therefore joined international armed forces in the past to keep peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, although their role has been limited.
Under Japan’s constitution, troops on a peacekeeping mission are not even allowed to provide protection to civilians of another nation. “It does not make any sense to dispatch troops to a war zone simply to defend Japanese nationals,” a Japanese official said on condition of anonymity.
