China “Monitored” US Bombers in New Air Zone

China announced a new air defense zone for the East China Sea, overlapping a Japanese air zone and part of a long-running dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. The US response was to defy China by flying two B-52s over the islands; Japan asked airlines not to file flight plans with China as demanded by Beijing. “The idea that Washington was going to start filing flight plans with China before flying over the East China Sea was a non-starter,” writes Jonny Dymond for BBC News. He argues the quarrel is bigger than flight rules, that China is challenging US military dominance in the region. China had warned flights to identify entry or risk "emergency defensive measures," but settled for monitoring the unarmed B-52s. All sides contend that missteps could trigger crisis. Some on Chinese social media questioned why their government did not send in fighter jets, intercept the bombers and escort them away. Both China and the United States must balance wars of words at home with smart foreign-policy cooperation. – YaleGlobal