The Chinese Air Defense Zone Connects Dots Between Iran and North Korea

It is interesting that at the same time that the US-Iran deal was being formalized in Geneva last weekend, China announced a larger perimeter to its maritime air defense zone. The announcement flies in the face of American-Chinese efforts to forge deeper ties needed to make East Asia more stable. Beijing's declaration has escalated its territorial dispute with US ally Japan over islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China. At the center of the island dispute is the possibility of large natural resource deposits around the islands. The US responded to the Chinese announcement that included these islands in the zone by flying two unarmed B-52 bombers through the zone on a training mission Tuesday without informing Beijing, in what US officials said was a long-planned training mission. A Chinese Defense Ministry statement said China detected and monitored the bombers, adding that all aircraft flying through the zone would be monitored, but China made no mention of a threat to take "defensive emergency measures" against noncompliant aircraft that was included in the original announcement Saturday. The expanded Chinese air defense zone was rejected by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. "China has the capability to exercise effective control over the relevant airspace," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regularly scheduled briefing, noting the US incursion had been handled according to procedures laid out in the Saturday statement, but offering no specifics. Meantime, relations between America's core allies in the region, Japan and South Korea, have deteriorated. South Korea is bitter over Japan's attitude toward its colonial past and wants more contrition from Tokyo for Japan's use of Korean sex slaves in World War II. Bonnie Glaser, a China specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expected US Vice President Joe Biden to raise these issues with civilian and military leaders in China on his Asian tour next week. She said that while countries have a right to declare such a zone - the US, South Korea and Japan all have them - there will be concern about how China would enforce it. "The question is how many times China will scramble their jets and against whom," Glaser said. ~~~~~ The Chinese action complicates the strategic picture for the Obama administration as it looks to advance its so-called "pivot to Asia," with the goal of strengthening not only its own alliances, but getting its partners in the region to collaborate more. Evans Revere, a former senior US diplomat and East Asia specialist, made the following comment to AP about the Chinese action : "That's the result of territorial disputes, historical issues, long-standing rivalries and the inability of countries to put history behind them and move forward in improving relations." To add to US problems in the region, there is the threat posed by an unpredictable North Korea. The deal the US concluded with Iran to temporarily freeze its nuclear program, after thirty years of animosity, is a stark reminder of the impasse in negotiations with Pyongyang. Unlike Iran, North Korea already has a nuclear bomb, and there's worrying evidence it is pressing ahead with weapons development. And Biden is going to visit Japan, South Korea and China as part of his tour because US Secretary of State John Kerry's primary focus is on the Mideast for the foreseeable future as he works on the difficult goals of an end to Syria's civil war, peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran after the current pact expires in six months. ~~~~~ In addition, US domestic problems have contributed to the sense in the region that Asia is a secondary concern to the administration. Obama felt compelled to cancel an Asian trip in October because of a partial US government shutdown and the threat of a debt default. His travel schedule now includes a trip to Asia in April. Obama made Asia a priority in 2009 and he has been particularly active in engaging China. Lacking the ability, or inclination, to forge personal relationshios with foreign leaders, Obama did seek to create a relationship with new Chinese leader Xi Jinping when he met him in June at a California resort, as part of what is regarded as the Obama strategy to promote cooperation between the world's two largest economies and prevent conflict in the Asia-Pacific Rim. But China's declaration of its East China Sea air defense zone will be viewed as a set back. ~~~~~ Dear readers, even if we give President Obama the benefit of putting his Middle East non-support-for-allies strategy in the best possible light, we are compelled to acknowledge that when any part of the world is abandoned by America, the entire world responds. If the United States is not the leader of the entire world, it risks creating a world in which there is no leadership - a world in which aggressive countries will seek to fill the vacuum with their own desire for regional or world dominance. The latest Chinese action is a very small step in that direction. And China is well-known for pushing aggressively until someone says 'Stop.' This time, the US seems to be stepping up to its responsibility. But when the day comes that North Korea pushes with an Iranian nuclear-armed ICBM, it will be too late for pushing back. The only way to prevent that day from arriving is to stop Iran's nuclear program. Stop it totally. Stop it before it can arm North Korea or any other rogue state friend of Iran.