Pentagon/USA: Flights over Senkaku Islands were unrelated to dispute between Japan and China. -Senkaku/Diaoyu issue

The US military flew two aircraft over islands in the East China Sea under dispute between Japan and China, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Crosson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the planes were not armed and had an "uneventful flight" during the long-planned missions, which occurred early Tuesday.

Crosson said the flights over the Senkaku Islands were unrelated to the dispute between Japan and China. China on Saturday declared an air defence zone in the East China Sea, the latest in a series of incidents in its escalating dispute with Japan over the islands.

"Last night (Washington time) two military aircraft on a longstanding planned training mission flew into the vicinity of the Senkaku islands," Crosson told dpa. "It was a routine, planned training mission."

He said the mission had been planned "well before" China established the new air defence zone.

Crosson did not identify the aircraft or confirm reports that they were B-52 bombers.

He said he was not aware of any protests from China.

• US flies B-52 aircraft over disputed islands without informing China - Pentagon

Two US military aircraft have flown around disputed islands in the East China Sea without informing China, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday, defying China's declaration that the region falls into a new airspace defense zone.

The unarmed aircraft took off from Guam on Monday and the flight was previously scheduled as part of a routine exercise in the area, the defense officials said.

"Last night we conducted a training exercise that was long-planned. It involved two aircraft flying from Guam and returning to Guam," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.

No flight plan was submitted beforehand to the Chinese and the mission went ahead "without incident," with the two aircraft spending "less than an hour" in the unilaterally-declared Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), Warren said.

• A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP the two planes were B-52 bombers.

China announced the expanded air defense zone amid a growing territorial dispute with Japan over an island chain in the East China Sea.

The area also includes waters claimed by Taiwan and South Korea, which also have both expressed their displeasure at Beijing's move.

Under the rules declared by China, aircraft are expected to provide a flight plan, clearly mark their nationality and maintain two-way radio communication to allow them to respond to identification inquiries from Chinese authorities.

Japan, the United States and several other governments have criticized China's announced air defense zone.

Voice of Russia, dpa, Reuters, AFP
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_11_26/Flights-over-Senkaku-Islands-were-unrelated-to-dispute-between-Japan-and-China-US-9532/
26/11/13
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