China is considering setting up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) overlapping with Japan's over the East China Sea, an internal Chinese military document revealed.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army seems to be taking up a Beijing-based senior air force official proposal of strengthening the nation's air defense operations by setting up a Chinese ADIZ to control its maritime resources effectively, the Japan Times reports.
According to the report, the official also said that the neighboring countries insisted on validating the marine boundaries, which are disadvantageous to the country.
The move is likely to heighten tensions between the two countries because if China were to establish such a zone, it would certainly overlap Japan's, as a major part of the Japanese ADIZ has been set closer to China than the median line.
Such zones are set up by countries based on the domestic law, as there are no international rules concerning their establishment, and they serve as a national defense perimeter that triggers fighters, when foreign aircraft enter the zone without prior notification.