China asserts control over air zone despite US B-52 bombers

Says has the will and ability to defend its national sovereignty and security

China today asserted that it has enough "will and ability" to enforce its unilaterally declared new air defence zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea after two US B-52 bombers challenged Chinese authority over the controversial airspace.

Putting up a brave face, China's Defence Ministry said it "detected, identified and monitored" the flight of the giant long-range Stratofortress planes that flew the zone between two different times last night.

"The Chinese government has the will and ability to defend our national sovereignty and security," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a press briefing.

"We also have the ability to exercise effective control over the East Sea Air Defence Identification Zone," he said.

Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said the US aircraft skirted along the border of the zone and flew in the north-south direction, 200 kilometres east of Diaoyu Island.

China calls the disputed islands Diaoyus while Japan terms them as Senkakus.

Under the rules of the new air zone, all aircraft including the civilian flights have to report their flight plans to China, must maintain the two-way radio communications and respond in a timely and accurate manner to identification inquires.

Those that do not comply can face "defencive emergency measures", Beijing said.

The US along with Japan refused to accept the zone announced by China over the disputed islands administered by Japan.

The Pentagon said it did not comply with Beijing's controversial demand for aircraft to file flight plans when traversing the East China Sea area.

US Colonel Steve Warren at the Pentagon said Washington had "conducted operations in the area of the Senkakus".

"We have continued to follow our normal procedures, which include not filing flight plans, not radioing ahead and not registering our frequencies," Warren said.

China's defence spokesman Geng said: "The Chinese military monitored the entire process, carried out identification in a timely manner, and ascertained the type of US aircraft.

"We need to stress that China will identify every aircraft flying in the air defence identification zone according to the country's announcement of aircraft identification rules for the air defence identification zone.