US defies Chinese restrictions by flying bombers over Senkaku islands

Washington – The United States has reportedly flown two B-52 bombers over the disputed Senkaku Islands as part of a training exercise amid increased tensions in the sensitive region.

The two unarmed aircrafts flew from Guam to the Senkakus and back, but were not intercepted by the Chinese, nor did the Chinese attempt to communicate with them, Fox News reports.

The flight path is routine for the U.S., but there were much larger risks and implications involved in the exercise after China’s claim of air defence zone in the sensitive region.

The U.S. defense officials said that Washington officially deems the Senkaku region as international airspace, and that the Pentagon would ignore requests from the Chinese for U.S. aircraft to identify themselves when in that airspace.

China had announced last weekend that it was creating its own Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), including the disputed Senkaku islands, as a measure of self-defence.

This announcement followed an angry response from the Japanese government, claiming the move to be profoundly dangerous and unilateral act lacking validity.

Japan also warned of unintended consequences after the move, the report added.