中国出动战斗机巡航东海防空识别区

Japan and South Korea have both flown military aircraft into China’s new air defence zone, amid escalating tensions in the East China Sea that have also drawn in the US.

中国周四出动战斗机进入其新近划设的有争议的防空识别区执行任务，此举进一步升级了已把美国卷进来的东海紧张局势。

China on Saturday created the “air defence identification zone” and declared that aircraft passing through the area – which includes the airspace over the contested Senkaku Islands – must inform Beijing.

中国空军新闻发言人申进科上校表示，中国空军组织数架战斗机和一架预警机在中国东海防空识别区进行常态化空中巡逻。根据中国国防部官网贴出的一份声明，他形容此次任务“是防御性措施，符合国际通行做法”。

But neither Japan or South Korea did so before conducting subsequent aerial surveillance operations.

日本和韩国则分别出动军用飞机进入中国新划设的防空识别区，拒不理睬中国上周六提出的要求，即进入该区的所有飞行均须向中方通报。该识别区包括有争议的尖阁诸岛(Senkaku Islands)上方的空域。针对中国划设防空识别区之举，美国在本周早些时候作出回应，派遣两架B-52轰炸机不打招呼飞越中国的防空识别区，但同时声称这是早已计划好的演练的一部分。

Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, yesterday said Japanese military aircraft were “carrying out surveillance activity as before in the East China Sea”, including inside China’s new air defence identification zone.

日本内阁官房长官菅义伟(Yoshihide Suga)昨日表示，日本自卫队的飞机“像往常一样在东中国海开展警戒监视活动”。

“We are not going to change this out of consideration to China,” said Mr Suga, without saying how often Japanese military aircraft had entered the zone.

“我们不会出于考虑中国而改变警戒监视活动，”菅义伟表示。他没有说明日本军机进入中国防空识别区的具体次数。

The South Korean defence ministry yesterday said it had conducted a routine surveillance mission on Tuesday over a submerged rock NOTE - NOT PART OF SENKAKU, JUST IN ZONEwhere Seoul has a scientific research centre, but to which China also lays claim.

韩国国防部昨日表示，韩军周二对一个水下暗礁执行了例行监视任务。韩国方面在这个暗礁上有一个科研中心，中国对这个暗礁也宣称拥有主权。

Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have mounted over the past year as Chinese ships and aircraft try to weaken Japan’s control over the group of five uninhabited islands and three rocks that are known in China as the Diaoyu. Japan angered China last year by buying three of the islands from their private Japanese owner.

中国与日本之间的紧张局势在过去一年不断发酵，中国舰船和飞机试图削弱日本对五个无人居住的海岛和三个岛礁的控制，中国称这个岛群为钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿，日本称之为尖阁诸岛。去年，日本政府从本国私人所有者手里买下其中三个海岛，此举激怒了中国。

China has said the creation of the air zone – which overlaps with corresponding Japanese and South Korean zones – was a “legitimate action” and not targeted at any one country. But the move has sparked criticism across the region and drawn sharp a sharp rebuke from the US.

中国的防空识别区与日本和韩国的防空识别圈部分重叠。中国称，划设防空识别区之举是“合法”行为，并不针对任何一个国家。但此举在地区引发广泛批评，并招致美国的强烈谴责。

At a meeting in Seoul yesterday, Chinese military officials rejected calls from South Korea to reconsider the zone, according to Seoul’s defence ministry.

据韩国国防部透露，中国军事官员昨日在首尔的一个会议上拒绝了韩方提出的重新考虑防空识别区的呼吁。

“Japan and the US should carefully reflect upon and immediately correct their mistakes,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday.

“我们要求日方和美方认真地反省自身，立即纠正错误，”中国外交部发言人昨日表示。

“They should stop their irresponsible accusations against China and refrain from remarks and actions that harm regional stability.”

他还说，美日应当“停止对中方的无理指责，停止制造摩擦，停止有损地区稳定的言行”。

The Japanese and South Korean surveillance missions came after the US sent a pair of B-52 bombers through the air defence zone on Tuesday.

周三，日本的航空公司改变早先的遵守姿态，开始不理睬中国颁布的规则。