The US Navy has deployed sophisticated surveillance aircraft to Japan, officials said Monday, amid rising tension over China’s territorial claims within the region.
Two P-8A Poseidon patrol jets departed Jacksonville, Florida on Friday and arrived later at Kadena air base in Okinawa, in a move that was planned before Beijing declared an air defense zone last month covering disputed islands within the East China Sea, a navy official told AFP.
“This was scheduled for a very long time,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“It’s a rotational deployment.”
Four more Poseidon aircraft are as a result of deploy at Okinawa later this month, the official said.
The assignment to Japan marks the primary mission for the brand new plane, that’s replacing the propeller-driven P-3 Orion aircraft that dates back to the 1960s.
The P-8A planes, converted Boeing 737s equipped with advanced radar and anti-ship missiles, are designed to seek submarines and track other vessels at sea.
On November 23, China announced an expanded air defense identification zone and said aircraft would need to submit flight plans before entering the realm, home to disputed islands within the East China Sea.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the usa have each sent planes into the zone without informing the Chinese, signalling their refusal to acknowledge Beijing’s declaration.
After sending in two B-52 bombers last week, america military has kept up “routine” military flights within the area but there was no hostile response from China, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters Monday.
“The Chinese reaction to our operations was normal,” Warren said.
“We haven’t changed our operational tempo,” he added.
The deployment of the P-8 aircraft came as US Vp Joe Biden set out Sunday on a visit to Asia with the intention to include a trip to Beijing, where he’s going to discuss the spike in regional tensions.
Senior US officials said Biden would convey Washington’s “concerns” about China’s air defense zone and seek clarity regarding its intentions.
While military flights have gone ahead as planned, the usa State Department has advised American schedule carriers to watch China’s demand for advance notice of aircraft entering the zone.
China and Japan was locked in a mounting territorial argument over the island chain often called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
Although taking no position at the sovereignty dispute, Washington says it should uphold its defense treaty with Japan within the event of a conflict.
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Keywords:P-8A