China fighters in ‘dangerous’ brush with Japanese planes

[Jesus Malverde]

Source: afp

Japan on Sunday accused China of "dangerous" manoeuvres above disputed areas of the East China Sea, saying a Chinese fighter flew within roughly 30 metres (100 feet) of a Japanese military aircraft.

A defence ministry spokesman said a Chinese Su-27 jet on Saturday flew close to a Japanese OP-3C surveillance plane above the waters where the countries' air defence identification zones overlap.

Another Chinese SU-27 fighter also flew close to a Japanese YS-11EB plane in the same airspace, the ministry said.

One fighter jet approached to within about 50 metres and the other was as close as 30 metres to the Japanese planes, according to the spokesman.

Relations between Japan and China are strained by a territorial dispute over Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/25/china-fighters-in-dangerous-brush-with-japanese-planes/

[DeSwiss]

1. This feud's been going-on since the Khans and the Honda's were cross-sea neighbors.

- I think they just need to try harder in coming up with imaginative ways like this in which to act out those ancestor-aggressions they've been taught to hold onto, sans the bloodshed:

K&R

[heaven05]

3. Instead of India/ Pakistan feuds

maybe this will be the one to kick things off?

[DeSwiss]

5. Or disputes between.....

....China and Vietnam, or China and the Philippines or China and Tibet or China and North& South Korea.

- Hey, I think I'm beginning to see a trend here.....

[ColesCountyDem]

7. ^^^^^ This! +1. n/t

[heaven05]

12. hegemony

at play here?

[Bosonic]

13. China says Vietnam claims to disputed islets 'ridiculous'

China says Vietnam claims to disputed islets 'ridiculous'

(Reuters) - China described Vietnam's claim to disputed South China Sea islands as "ridiculous" on Monday, as tension rises over competing claims of sovereignty in waters believed to be rich in oil and natural gas.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei in one of Asia's most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint. It also has a separate maritime dispute with Japan over islands in the East Sea.

The row with Vietnam intensified this month after China dispatched an oil rig to an area near the disputed Paracel islands.

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry held a press conference on Friday when officials stressed the country's historical claim to the Paracels.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/26/us-southchinasea-china-vietnam-idUSBREA4P06F20140526?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[sulphurdunn]

2. Sino/Russian joint military exercises

around there are a much bigger concern than air tag.

[Johnyawl]

4. The Chinese seem determined to push the Japanese into re-arming.

And that's exactly what the world needs, is a re-armed and militaristic Japan.

[EX500rider]

6. Not to mention a nuclear Japan...'cause if they think their going to tangle with China..

....they will want their own nukes so China doesn't get frisky with theirs.

[Johnyawl]

9. Good point.

[Igel]

10. Meh.

A militaristic Japan wouldn't have much power-projection ability. It could do so when it was several tech generations ahead of its neighbors, who were divided without strong national loyalties and when it had a burgeoning young population.

Times have changed. Now Japan's shrinking, China and South Korea are both nation-loyal and advanced. SE Asia isn't a place they'd want to mess, not without massive troop investments, and Taiwan isn't an issue.

A militaristic Japan is one that could defend itself well against any similarly sized country, and could make China pay dearly for conquering it or stripping it of possessions. That's about it.

[Johnyawl]

11. Well...

..."A militaristic Japan is one that could defend itself well against any similarly sized country, and could make China pay dearly for conquering it or stripping it of possessions."

That's exactly what we're talking about, at least in the beginning, is Japan's ability to defend it's claims to those islands.

IF Japan alters the constitution that we wrote for them after WWII, and set about re-arming themselves they would very quickly develop a power projection capability that would surpass China's within a couple of decades. I'm obviously not talking about ground troops and a major land war; Japan at the moment has no need, or desire for that. Remember that Japan has a very successful history of pulling off just such a transformation. They went from a medieval society in the 1850's to a regional sea and land power that delivered a stunning defeat to the Russian Empire in 1905. China is still trying to get their first Aircraft Carrier operational. If Japan started today they would have one at sea launching airplanes within five years.

Japan has abundant resources to finance such a build up, and the economic stimulus of such a rapid military build up would revitalize the Japanese economy. China has many more demands on it's resources as it tries to bring it's nation into the 21st century, they really cannot afford an arms race with the Japanese. And a continued confrontation with China would also re-ignite the "nation loyalty" that is missing from Japanese culture at the moment. That nationalism is there, mostly dormant at the moment

China is very busy alienating all of it's neighbors, The Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea over the same issue. A re-militarized Japan would find allies to deal with this problem. The problem is where all this would lead in the not too distant future.

[Uncle Joe]

14. I'm of the belief

that a militarized China is far more dangerous than a militarized Japan.

[davidpdx]

8. One of these days the antic by one side or the other is going to far and get people killed

I shudder to think what might happen when things are pushed that far.