Troubled Waters in the East China Sea - China’s ADIZ 中国防空识别区

In November 2013 China declared an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). Within the already changeable East Asian region China’s neighbours reacted with alarm. Despite increasing apprehension and speculation about China’s assertiveness, this paper argues China’s ADIZ is not a challenge to the status quo. China’s domestic politics and the specific Sino-Japanese tension over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands account for the creation, timing and method of establishing the ADIZ. A comparative case study of China’s ADIZ and Japan’s own ADIZ demonstrates that misperceptions about China’s ADIZ rather than the ADIZ itself are more likely to further destabilise the region. 摘要：2013年11月，中国宣布建立东海防空识别区（ADIZ），东亚这个动荡的地区再次变得风声鹤唳。针对越来越多的对中国强硬态度的各种推测，本文认为，从中国国内形势以及具体的中日关系的角度来看，中国设立防空识别区并不是为了挑战现状。对中国和日本自身防空识别区的比较案例研究有助于理解这个观点，即我们需要更确凿的证据才能得出结论，而不是制造误解，使该区域变得更加不稳定。