China Gears Up Helicopters to Play Crucial Role in East China Sea Dispute
By Peter Wood
Despite a slight improvement in
Sino-Japanese relations since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited
Beijing in November 2014 for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit, both countries have diligently enhanced their military
and support capabilities in the vicinity of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu
Islands during the past year. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears
to be developing a future strategy for maintaining a patrol and
surveillance presence around the Islands that would rely heavily on
helicopters currently in development, namely the Z-18 and Z-20. This
article will first explain the new facilities China is building around
the Islands and then discuss the new helicopters that will likely be
deployed to the
East China Sea once they successfully complete testing over the next
several years, and how this may affect the military balance in the East
China Sea.
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