Sunday, December 1, 2013

"U.S. airlines give China flight plans... "

(Reuters) - "U.S. airlines United, American and Delta, have notified Chinese authorities of flight plans when traveling through an air defense zone Beijing has declared over the East China Sea, following U.S. government advice."
The United States said on Friday it expected U.S. carriers to operate in line with so-called notices to airmen issued by foreign countries, although it added that the decision did "not indicate U.S. government acceptance of China's requirements.

A spokesman for Delta Airlines said it had been complying with the Chinese requests for flight plans for the past week.

In contrast, two major airlines in Japan, the United States' close ally, have agreed with the Japanese government that they would fly through the zone without notifying China.
Read more here

13 comments:

rhhardin said...

The obvious counter is to flood the system with fake flights, say a thousand a day.

edutcher said...

Well, they know what happened in Benghazi...

Michael Haz said...

This won't end well. Sooner or later a Japanese airliner will either be shot down or forced to land in China.

Meanwhile, the US is flying B-52s through the newly-claimed airspace.

Japan could be come the Israel of Asia, at least under this administration.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I like rh's idea.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I don't know much about China Japan relations, other than obviously they hate each other.

I believe China is testing a perceived weak US president.

rhhardin said...

China is being whipped up against Japan, under any pretext.

There used to be a lively Chinese tourist trade to Japan.

The Japanese have lots of factories in China.

Hagar said...

The dog that didn't bark ....

This contested airspace is next to Taiwan.

rhhardin said...

They're more interested in the contested Japanese islands, which come with mineral rights to a lot of ocean.

XRay said...

Mineral rights here, are ancillary to the end game, in my opinion.

This is strictly a power play.

Can't fault the airlines for playing as they are no where near the tip of the spear.

I'd suggest formation flights of B2's, right down the middle of the damn thing, with the 7th Fleet covering.

XRay said...

In other words nip this shit in the bud.

Michael Haz said...

Well, at least the US has ultra-experienced stateswoman Caroline Kennedy Schlossburg representing its interests in Japan these days.

virgil xenophon said...

Yet ANOTHER example of Obama's serial appeasement of our mortal enemies all over the globe. (And TRUST ME the PLAN IS our constant mortal enemy no matter what the Chinese party leaders may be thinking at the moment. They are a separate power center only nominally--at best-- under control by China's civilian Communist party leadership.

virgil xenophon said...

PS: I also chortle over rh's evil mind.. :)