How China-Japan relations will benefit from new crisis management agreement
Zhou Bo says the hard-won air and maritime agreement signed between China and Japan is an indication of the vulnerability of relations between the two Asian powers, and calls on both to build on this good start
The agreement comes as a huge relief. Officially described as a “maritime and air liaison mechanism between the defence ministries of China and Japan”, it is meant to defuse tensions arising out of close encounters between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft and naval vessels. Although there is yet to be an incident, the chances of dangerous encounters are on the rise with each passing year.
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Japan’s zone, created by the US after the second world war, is much larger than Japanese territory and extends to within 130km of China’s coast. Thus, Japan’s hysterical reaction to China’s much smaller zone was strange.
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This is why a mutually agreed code of conduct is needed.
The mechanism reportedly allows direct communication between two pilots or captains if their warships or aircraft come unexpectedly into proximity. It is obvious that such frontline direct contact is crucial to avoid accidents. These tactical communications will be further supported by annual reviews at the higher strategic-level meetings of the defence agencies.
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In so doing, it comes in line with the 2014 Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea approved by 21 navies, including China and Japan, in the Western Pacific, which doesn’t specify geographical scope. Instead, with a host of operational and communication procedures, it calls for the maintenance of safe speed and safe distance between naval vessels of different nations to avoid collisions.
Even compared with similar arrangements in the region, such an agreement is long overdue. For example, China has established a series of confidence-building measures with some major powers and neighbouring countries, but noticeably not with Japan. China now has direct telephonic communications with the US, Russia, North Korea and Vietnam.
The Sino-Indian border is managed through such concrete measures as not stalking the patrolling troops of the other side and holding border meetings at regular intervals.
The fact that such a badly needed but not very sophisticated mechanism took 10 years to negotiate reflects how vulnerable China-Japan relations are. This is most unfortunate, not only because they are close neighbours, but also because a persistent less-than-amicable relationship between the two powers would have a negative impact upon the whole region.
The China-Japan maritime and air liaison mechanism is a good beginning, but precisely because it is so hard-won, the best way to avoid incidents is to embark on the next important step – more frank exchanges at all levels and drills on good seamanship and airmanship.
Zhou Bo is an honorary fellow with PLA Academy of Military Science in China