The US-Chinese confrontation affects not only the interpretation and implementation of the norms and provisions of international maritime law, and above all the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It also concerns the legal status of the airspace over which a coastal state cannot extend its sovereignty and where absolute freedom of overflight is assumed, both for civil and military aircraft. However, Beijing is systematically trying to limit the presence of American - primarily reconnaissance - aircraft near its national borders, considering such activities an immediate threat to national security. For this purpose, completely legal mechanisms can be used, such as Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZs) or Flight Information Regions (FIRs). However, differing interpretations of rights and powers within these zones by the United States and China have lead to increased tensions, which in previous years have caused serious incidents.