Beijing's ADIZ allows PLA Navy to penetrate Miyako waterway

[xhw1986]

After the establishment of China's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, the People's Liberation Army Navy will be able to penetrate the Miyako waterway — which lies between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa — and challenge the US domination of the Western Pacific, according to the December edition of the Hong Kong-based Yazhou Zhoukan.

A source told the magazine that China's plan to establish its own ADIZ had been made right after the 18th National Congress last year when Xi Jinping was selected to succeed Hu Jintao as leader of the party. The source, who attended a Oct. 24-25 seminar in Beijing on China's relationship with its neighbors, said that China's territorial dispute with Japan over the East China Sea is no longer about natural resources but strategic positioning and Xi pushed forward plans for the zone four months ago under pressure from the PLA.

Japan is currently deploying its Type 88 anti-ship missiles to the island of Miyako to block PLA naval movements in the region, and it is time for China to establish the air defense identification zone to solidify its position in the East China Sea, the source added.

China's announcement of its ADIZ on Nov. 23 demonstrated that the country is looking beyond the disputed Diaoyutai (Senkaku or Diaoyu) islands and the undersea natural gas field in the East China Sea. Beijing is now aiming to penetrate the First Island Chain — which extends from Alaska, South Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines — established by the United States more than 60 years ago to contain the Chinese maritime power. Xi Jinping is thus challenging the US dominance in the region since the end of World War II through announcing the zone, the Yazhou Zhoukan said.

By extending the new zone to the Miyako waterway, PLA fighters will be able to provide air cover to Chinese vessels penetrating the waterway to the open sea in the Western Pacific. The PLA Air Force has already begun to patrol the airspace, sending fighters on Nov. 28 and 29 to the region in response to military aircraft from the United States, Japan and South Korea entering the ADIZ, the report said.

Beijing's ADIZ allows PLA Navy to penetrate Miyako waterway｜Politics｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com