Observers say China’s moves on air defense zone aim to fend off unfriendly approaches

The U.S. and its Asian allies will continue to face increasing pressure from China, as the emerging great power seeks to reshape the security order and ultimately expel the U.S. from the region, a top political thinker said. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Stephen M. Walt, professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, also noted the need for collective action to fend off China’s unilateral territorial assertions.“It is unacceptable for any states in Asia to un

Seoul to discuss extending its air defense zone to Ieodo

A maritime dispute surrounding Ieodo, a submerged rock in the East China Sea, has resurfaced as China incorporated it last week in its air defense zone without consultation with South Korea.The renewed dispute has also revealed that despite its claim to the rock, Seoul has not included Ieodo in its own air defense identification zone, although China and Japan have put it under their respective zones.Seoul maintains it cannot recognize China’s ADIZ, while expressing regrets over the unilateral de

New U.S. Forces Korea Commander Curtis Scaparrotti said Monday that the military was still considering creating a combined division of South Korean and American troops following the transfer of wartime operational control.His predecessor James D. Thurman is known to have suggested the establishment of the division to strengthen the alliance and its deterrence against the unpredictable, provocative regime in Pyongyang.“The combined division is, in fact, still under consideration, and there has be

China’s announcement of its Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea has stoked a new controversy with South Korea, Japan and the U.S.