China reserves offshore airspace for 40 days without explanation: WSJBy Sam Garcia / Staff writerChina has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The reserved airspace has no vertical ceiling, which is designated within Notams as SFC-UNL. If the reserved airspace is in fact linked to exercises, it “would represent a meaningful shift in how Beijing uses airspace control as a tool of military signaling,” he said. The airspace reservation is “clearly aimed at Japan,” as China attempts to deter US allies and erode US military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, the official told the paper.
