China’s marine safety bureau announced on Thursday that beginning Sunday, ships will be prohibited from entering a region near Taiwan due to the risk of falling rocket detritus, while Japan demanded clarification on a putative no-fly zone in the same region.
South Korea, which was also informed of the preparations but has not commented on the no-fly zone, stated that it was due to a launch vehicle-related detritus that fell from the sky.
Last week’s meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles coincided with the escalation of tensions in the region due to Chinese military maneuvers encircling Taiwan.
Since China views Taiwan as part of its territory, it takes objection whenever Taiwanese leaders meet with representatives from other nations. Taiwan contests China’s claims over Taiwan.
Wednesday, the Taiwanese government confirmed a report that China planned to enforce a no-fly zone from April 16-18, when Japan hosts a G7 foreign ministers’ conference, but stated Beijing had reduced the requirement to 27 minutes on Sunday morning in response to Taipei’s protests.
According to Taiwan’s transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai, approximately 33 aircraft would be affected by the no-fly zone. This information was supplied by the official Central News Agency of Taiwan.
The coordinates of the area were published in a brief statement by China’s Maritime Safety Administration, which also advised ships to avoid the area between Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Using these coordinates, the Taiwanese transportation ministry was able to construct a map late Wednesday night depicting a rectangular region 118 kilometers (73 miles) to the northeast of the island.
Disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku by Japan and the Diaoyu by China, are located northwest of the island of Ishigaki in this region.
According to Taiwanese sources, China has not modified its notice of 27-minute flight restrictions issued on Sunday, and the new warning applies only to ships and not to aircraft. This official spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Thursday evening at approximately 9:00 p.m. (1300GMT), the Taiwanese Ministry of Transportation will issue warnings for shipping and aviation about areas to avoid, indicating that the marine notice is distinct from the previous aviation notice.
China notified the ministry that the affected sea region must be blocked “due to maritime navigation safety concerns, such as missile debris,” according to ministry.
Wednesday, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan requested an explanation from China.
Matsuno stated at a press conference that the government “continues to collect and analyze voluminous data,” including contact with the Chinese side.
