MANILA, Philippines—China’s plan to establish an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the disputed South China Sea could lead to mishaps and miscalculations at sea and in the air, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday (June 25).
“It is my fervent hope that China would not proceed with this planned action for the continued peace and stability in the entire South China Sea,” he said in a statement.
China is laying claim to the entire South China Sea on the basis of its nine-dash line theory. Parts of what China is claiming lie tens of thousands of nautical miles away from the Chinese mainland.
The mythical nine-dash line had been rejected as illegal and without basis in 2016 by the Permanent Arbitration Court in a case filed by the Philippines. Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims in the area.