US bombers cross China’s claimed air defense zone

By CHRISTOPHER BODEENLOLITA C. BALDOR

Published November 27, 2013 12:32am ET

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US bombers cross China’s claimed air defense zone — Computer screens display a map showing the outline of China's new air defense zone in the East China on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, in Beijing Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013. Beijing on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 issued a map of the zone - which includes a cluster of islands controlled by Japan but also claimed by China - and a set of rules that say all aircraft entering the area must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey Beijing's orders. Chinese characters in red in the center of the map at left reads: "Air Defense Identification Zone in East China Sea." (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) | Ng Han Guan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after China asserted greater military control over a swath of the East China Sea to bolster claims to a cluster of disputed islands, the U.S. defied the move Tuesday as it flew two B-52 bombers through the area.

The U.S. said what it described as a training mission was not flown to respond to China’s latest military maneuver, yet the dramatic flights made clear that the U.S. will not recognize the new territorial claims that Beijing laid out over the weekend.

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