Japan Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Philippine Defense chief
Voltaire Gazmin: With competing territorial claims in the region, their
countries are at
loggerheads with China - not to mention each other.
China ADZ 'Should Not Have Been Done': Philippines Defense Chief
(Daily Tribune, The Philippines)
"What was done by China - should have not been done,
because things are becoming dangerous. This could trigger an unexpected
incident. ... Common sense will tell you that you should not commit the same
mistake twice - if they recognize it as a mistake. We will have to wait and see,
but based on the reaction of several countries, the (Chinese) move is not
welcome."
China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning, a refurbished Russian vessel, is now on patrol in the China Sea. With Washington flexing its muscles after China announced a new 'air defense identification zone' - tensions are high.
Defense
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has expressed "strong
concern" over China’s establishment of an air defense identification zone
(ADIZ) over the East China Sea, fearing it could lead
to a confrontation.
Gazmin, at a press briefing, explained that
imposing an ADIZ should be consistent with
international flight regulations and practices, which is only done when an
aircraft enters the territorial airspace of a certain state.
"What
was done by China - should have not been done, because things are becoming
dangerous. This could trigger an unexpected incident," he noted.
Immediately
after China announced its imposition of an ADIZ, the
United States sent in B52 bombers, and South Korea and Japan denounced
Beijing’s move.
Gazmin expressed hope that the "strong
reactions" from the U.S., South Korea and Japan - all allies of the
Philippines, would stop China from pushing through with its ADIZ.
"Common
sense will tell you that you should not commit the same mistake twice - if they
recognize it as a mistake. We will have to wait and see, but based on the
reaction of several countries, the (Chinese) move is not welcome," he
said.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Gazmin also assured the public that the
government is closely monitoring the country’s territory, as Chinese aircraft
carrier are now being deployed in the South China Sea, and that the Philippines
will not resort to military action in dealing with the issue.
"This
will be subject to additional procedures, probably the filing of a protest,"
replied Gazmin when asked what if the Chinese
aircraft carrier crosses into Philippine waters. "We have monitoring - we
are closely monitoring and closely coordinating with our allies," he said.
"We renounced that (use of military action)," Gazmin
said.
Meanwhile,
Japan Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is visiting
the Philippines this week amid the increased regional tensions. While Gazmin claimed that there is no agenda for his meeting with
Onodera, he raised the possibility that revived tensions between China and
Japan may be discussed.
"Maybe.
It depends. It’s a free-flowing discussion. There is no fixed agenda."
Earlier,
the Department of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the deployment of the Liaoning,
China's aircraft carrier, to the West Philippine Sea. The Department said that
the deployment caused renewed tensions in the disputed area, and could be a violation
of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The
Philippines and China are among the countries disputing the Kalayaan
Islands Group, aka/the Spratlys, which lie in the
South China Sea or West Philippine Sea.
Other
claimant countries are Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.
