Careful handling better than knee-jerks

The debate following China's Nov 23 announcement of its East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone is a solemn reminder that major countries, such as China and the United States, must improve how they handle their differences.

Soon after China's announcement, the US took drastic action by sending two "unarmed" B-52 bombers from Guam into China's new ADIZ to show its defiance, although Pentagon officials also stressed that it was a routine flight arranged a long time ago.

Japan and the Republic of Korea also sent flights into the zone without reporting to the Chinese authorities. Such defiance is also meant to provoke and therefore is not conducive to solving problems.