(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) South Korea demanded Thursday that China modify its newly declared air defense zone, saying the area encroaches on that of the South and covers the underwater rock of Ieodo, under South Korean control, sources said
Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo made the demand during high-level defense strategy talks with China
The meeting took place amid spiking regional tensions over Beijing's unilateral setting of the air defense identification zone, the sources said
Baek said the South cannot recognize the zone as it was set unilaterally, without any prior consultations with Seoul
It was not immediately known how Baek's counterpart, Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, reacted to the demand
"We will convey our position again that we cannot recognize the air defense identification zone that China unilaterally declared without advance consultations with our government," a military official said ahead of the talks
"We will make it clear that it should be modified in a way that does not impede our national interests." Last week, China declared the zone over a large area of the East China Sea, obligating all aircraft entering the area to report to Chinese authorities and follow their instructions
The zone, which is set to determine if planes entering it are civilian or military, partly overlaps those of South Korea and Japan, according to (Yonhap) news agency
The Chinese zone also includes a set of islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo -- known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan -- and the underwater rock of Ieodo that China has laid claim to
South Korea has built a marine science research base on the rock
South Korea expressed regret and filed a protest earlier this week
The government in Seoul came under fire for failing to include Ieodo in its air defense zone
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Tuesday the government will consider expanding the zone to include Ieodo, about 149 kilometers southwest of Korea's southernmost island of Marado
Japan has also vehemently protested China's move
The Chinese zone also includes Japanese islands that the United States has used as firing ranges
In a clear sign it won't recognize the zone, the U.S
military flew a pair of B-52 bombers through the zone on Tuesday, sparking concerns about a clash between the two military powers
During Thursday's talks, Baek expressed appreciation that Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in June that he strongly opposes North Korea possessing nuclear weapons or conducting additional nuclear tests. Baek also called for greater efforts to end Pyongyang's nuclear program, the sources said. Also discussed was a project to set up a "hotline" between the defense ministries of the two countries. Baek proposed that the two countries work together on the project to open the hotline in the first half of next year, the sources said
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