The US showed Beijing what it thinks of China’s newly-declared Air Defense Zone over the East China Sea – two unarmed American B-52 bombers took off from Guam and flew right through the zone in defiance of new Chinese air defense rules.

A Pentagon spokesman said the planes had followed “normal procedures.”

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said, “It continues to be our view that the policy announced by the Chinese over weekend is unnecessarily inflammatory and has a destabilizing impact on the region.”

The B-52 Bomber mission underscores Washington's immediate rejection of China's new rules.  America has hundreds of military aircraft based in the region, and says it has zero intention of complying with China’s demand that flights announce their presence.  Japan has also called the zone invalid, unenforceable and dangerous.  Taiwan and South Korea also rejected it.

Japan’s own air defense zone in the area has been recognized since the 1960s, and it overlaps extensively with the newly announced Chinese zone.  Japan,  keeps a public record of all foreign incursions into its zone, and China for now is expected to do the same.