B-52s show Guam is strategic point: Delegate

November 28, 2013 08:38

The flight of B-52 bombers from Guam into China's newly declared air defence zone in the East China Sea underscores the island's importance to national security, the territory's delegate to Congress said.

"Our island has again shown that we are a strategic point to defend our nation's interests and the interests of our allies in the Asia-Pacific region," Del Madeleine Bordallo told the Pacific Daily News.

China on Saturday said all aircraft entering the new air defence zone must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey Beijing's orders.

The zone includes a cluster of islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.

The US and Japan have said they don't acknowledge the zone. Taiwan and South Korea, both close to the US, also rejected it.

US officials said the two unarmed B-52 bombers took off around midday Tuesday and were in the zone that encompasses the disputed islands for less than an hour before returning to their base. They said the aircraft encountered no problems.

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