China refutes Australia's remarks over air zone

BEIJING - China on Wednesday refuted the Australian Foreign Minister's remarks over its newly established Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea.

"China has lodged solemn representations against Australia's remarks, and expressed its strong dissatisfaction," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expressed concerns over China's defense measure in a statement on Tuesday.

"It's totally wrong for Australia to make critical comments about China's establishment of the Air Defense Identification Zone, and China does not accept it," Qin said.

"China urges Australia to correct mistakes immediately so as to avoid damage to bilateral cooperation," he said.

China announced the establishment of the defense zone last Saturday, which requires aircraft to report their flight plans and establish identification communications while flying through the zone.

More than 20 countries, including the United States, Japan and Australia, have set up their own air defense identification zones since the 1950s.