On the Blink of Air Battle

Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that fighter jets of Chinese Military Force approached aircrafts of Japanese Self-defense Force to the extent of a near midair collision inside Japan’s air defense identification zone in East China Sea. The area was within the ADIZ that China had newly set last year. In addition in South China Sea, China is also challenging status quo in East China Sea.

It was around 11 a.m. of Saturday when two Chinese fighter jets Su27 approached a picture data collector, OP3C, of Japanese Marine Self-defense Force and then they reached electronic measuring aircraft, YS11EB, of Japanese Air Self-defense Force around noon. They approached from the rear of Japanese aircrafts and one of them reached as close as 170 feet of OP3C and 100 feet of YS11EB. Japanese aircrafts were watching joint military exercise by China and Russia around the area.

Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera, released a comment accusing China’s activity as “dangerous move that might cause unintended accident.” The government of Japan protested China through Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. China’s official response to it has not reported.

Although Chinese aircrafts did not invaded territory of Japan, there had been no such happening as this close approach to Japan’s aircraft after China set its ADIZ last year. The area was hundreds of miles north of Senkaku Islands and close to wells of natural gas, over which Japan and China disputes their interests. It could be understand that China made an attempt of intimidation for securing its interest, which would be paralleled with collision with Vietnam over Paracel Islands in South China Sea.

When Chinese military vessel radiated strike control radar on Japanese destroyer in January last year, there was an argument that the Chinese navy had not recognized the meaning of doing that. After international accusation over collision with Vietnam around Paracel Islands, Chinese intimidation could no longer be explained as a mater of innocence.

Two days before the near miss by Chinese fighter jets, there was a deadly explosion in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous District. China’s internal tension over ethnic opposition is getting higher. If the government of China is trying to shift its people’s eyes from internal frustration to external potential threats, it will be inviting serious consequences on its own security. Although China agreed with Russia to deal with American pressure, Russia will not take strategy completely preferable to China as long as they share too much extended border. China’s unilateral activities in West Pacific will only alienate itself.