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China’s new defence zone also partly overlaps with South Korea’s military air zone [Xinhua]
Seoul was seeking to hold vice ministerial-level strategic talks as quickly as possible, hopefully this month, said a source cited by Korean news agency Yonhap.
Beijing announced the establishment of the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) last week.
China’s new defence zone also partly overlaps with South Korea’s military air zone.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry was arranging detailed schedules to hold meetings with the two nations, according to multiple foreign ministry and government officials cited by Yonhap and broadcaster MBC.
The nation’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun will attempt to travel to the US in mid-December to hold the talks with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui is also expected to visit Seoul for the strategic dialogue with South Korea, but detailed schedules are yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, the US has said its civilian aircraft will observe Chinese rules in the new defence zone.
The US announcement came even as Tokyo said on Monday that its aircrafts will not observe China’s rules.
“Our stance won’t be changed,” said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga when asked if Japan’s airlines will notify Beijing of flight plans.
China had said earlier that it would take “defensive emergency measures” against aircraft that failed to identify themselves properly in the new zone.
Last week, two US military bomber aircrafts flew into China’s newly announced air defence zone over the East China Sea that includes a chain of islands also claimed by Japan.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kushida has said Tokyo will raise the issue with US Vice President Joe Biden who is on a three-day visit to Japan on Monday.
Source: Agencies
