Beijing sent warplanes into the newly and unilaterally declared Air Defense Zone in the East China Sea, and territory grab that covers areas already claimed by Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.  It comes after the latter two nations plus the US defied China’s new demands over the region.

An Air Force Colonel quoted by China's state news agency Xinhua said the warplanes had carried out “routine” patrols.

This comes after Japan sent an unspecified number of patrol planes to conduct “routine reconnaissance flights” which went off without incident.  China did not scramble its fighter jets to intercept them.  The South Korean government also said that it had flown surveillance aircraft through the zone.  Earlier this week, the US flew unarmed B-52s through the area.  Those were also “routine”.

China declared the zone last weekend, demanding other countries announce their presence and file flight plans before entering an area that for decades had no such restrictions.  The zone includes Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are believed to be surrounded by undersea oil and gas reserves.