Tokyo yesterday summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan, as the two sides traded blame for a near collision involving fighter jets over the East China Sea, the second such incident to occur in less than a month.
In the latest confrontation in a long-running territorial dispute, Tokyo says two Chinese Su-27 jets flew as close as 30m to its aircraft in a spot where the two countries’ air defense zones overlap.
“It was an action that was extremely regrettable and which cannot be tolerated,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.
It was the second time in less than three weeks that Tokyo has accused Beijing of playing chicken in the skies near the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) controlled by Japan, which calls them the Senkakus and disputes their sovereignty with Taiwan and China, both of which claim the chain.
Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Akitaka Saiki, called China’s ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua (程永華) to the ministry, where he said similar incidents “could lead to a real accident,” Kyodo news agency said.
China hit back, insisting that Japanese pilots had been at fault and that Tokyo was lying to the international community about Beijing’s behavior.
“The Chinese pilot’s operation was professional, standard and maintained restraint. The Japanese pilot’s practice was dangerous, and obviously provocative in nature,” the Chinese Ministry of Defense said on its Web site.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said Japan has “hyped up this incident and the so-called ‘China threat.’”
“[Japan has] deliberately deceived the world. So we can’t help but wonder what is the true intention of Japan,” she added.
The site also carried video footage purporting to show two Japanese F-15 jets approaching a Chinese TU154 plane on Wednesday, disrupting its safe flight.
Japanese Minister of Defencse Itsunori Onodera said he saw the clip and “there was no truth behind what the Chinese side stated.”
The incident occurred as Japan and Australia held the fifth round of “2+2” talks between their defense and foreign affairs chiefs.
The two sides struck an agreement on a legal framework to conduct joint research and trade in defense equipment, with Australia yesterday backing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to expand the use of Japan’s military, hailing it as a “more normal defense posture,” which China says is really a bid to remilitarize Japan.
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