China further dialed back its warnings over a controversial new air-defense zone in the East China Sea on Thursday, after unauthorized incursions by South Korean and Japanese aircraft went unchallenged.
China's defense ministry said it had "identified" all foreign aircraft entering the Air Defense Identification Zone that was established Saturday over an area covering islands at the center of a fierce territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.
But Col. Yang Yujun, a defense ministry spokesman, told a monthly news conference the ADIZ wasn't a no-fly zone or an extension of China's airspace. He said it was "incorrect" to suggest China could shoot down planes in the zone.
China's declaration of the new zone has sparked protests from the U.S. and several of its allies, many of whom see it as an escalatory move that could increase the risk of a military confrontation in the region.
At the same time, Chinese leaders are facing pressure from a nationalistic public at home, with many social media users questioning why the military didn't respond to the Japanese or South Korean incursions, or one by two U.S. B-52 bombers on Tuesday.
Col. Yang also provided a slight elaboration of the zone's rules, which state that all aircraft there must identify themselves and their flight plans and obey instructions from the Chinese military or face unspecified "defensive emergency measures."
He said the measures would include identifying, monitoring, supervising and "dealing with" hostile or unidentified aircraft in the zone. "As to what kind of specific measures will be taken, that will be decided based on the specific situation and the extent of the threat being faced at the time," he said.
"The Chinese side has carried out immediate identification of every country's aircraft that has entered the East China Sea ADIZ, and we have a firm grasp of the situation regarding relevant aircraft," Col. Yang said.
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