China Sends Fighter Jets To Meet Japan's F-15s In The East China Sea

TBI ^ | 1-11-2013 | Robert Johnson

[blam]

China Sends Fighter Jets To Meet Japan's F-15s In The East China Sea

Robert Johnson
Jan. 11, 2013, 8:49 AM

Sino Defence

After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, and Tokyo scrambling F-15s in response, China's now sending fighters of its own on "routine flights" into the East China Sea.

China Daily:

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday that Chinese military planes were on"routine flights" in relevant airspace over the East China Sea. Spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks at a press briefing in response to media reports that Japan sent fighter jets to head off a number of Chinese military planes spotted in Japan's "air defense identification zone" over the East China Sea on Thursday.

"China firmly opposes Japan's moves to gratuitously escalate the situation and create tensions," Hong said.

The area north of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, known as the Diaoyus in China, is reportedly home to billions in oil and gas deposits claimed both by Japan and China.

Responding to China's fighter deployment, Japan is considering permitting its F-15 pilots to fire tracer bullets, as warning shots, against Chinese planes. The Global Times calls this, "A step closer to war."

The Chinese jets could be flying from air base Shuimen, built east of the islands in Fujian Province. Satellite imagery of the base first came to light in 2009, but experts believe it reached completion late last year.

The Taipei Times reported in May 2012 that satellite images showed J-10 combat aircraft, Su-30 fighters, and various unmanned drones arriving at the base.

In addition to aircraft experts believe Russian made S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles ring the airbase, providing some of the best missile protection in the world. The S-300 is comparable to the U.S. made Patriot missile recently sent to Turkey

(snip)

[MacNaughton]

19 I suppose they figure they can whip Japan and that leaves the US with one less ally in the Pacific.

Nothing is going to happen. This is simply a distraction tool by the Chinese. They will still move on taking Taiwan, and are simply warning Japan to not interfere lest a war front opens with Japan. Chess pieces moving on a big board. Both China and Japan don't want a war with each other, and will not let hostilities get severe. China in the meantime gets more powerful, and eventually takes Taiwan perhaps through a negotiated settlement where Taiwanese are given limited autonomy. China got it's ass handed to them twice by the Japanese in the last 120 years and remembers not to antagonize the Japanese too much.

Read Tom Clancy's Threat Vector, 2012.

[stuartcr]

Would the MILF suppression teams consist of LBFMs?

[Venturer]

If China starts in with Japan the Phillipines maybe leery of letting us in, and making enemes of China.

That is of course if the Muslim decides to go in at all, and that is another thought too.

[Neidermeyer]

Different type of MILF. LBFM’s abound , this is their natural habitat after all. Treat them with some respect and the people there will accept us back.

[roadcat]

Read Tom Clancy's Threat Vector, 2012.

All fiction, especially the part of Jack Ryan in the White House. The Chinese have Obama working for them in dismantling the USA. We have few heroes at the top working for us. The Chinese leaders care more about protecting their nation than our leaders care about protecting us.