PHNOM PENH: China
told Japan Wednesday to respect its "indisputable sovereignty" over
islands claimed by both countries in the East China Sea, in the latest
territorial row between Beijing and its neighbours.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Japanese
counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Phnom Penh where he "reaffirmed China's
principled position" on the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and
Diaoyu in Chinese.
"He stressed that Diaoyu Islands and their
affiliated islets have always been China's territory since ancient times, over
which China has indisputable sovereignty," said a statement from the
Chinese delegation.
Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo as
three Chinese patrol boats approached the chain of islands, which are privately
held by Japanese owners.
The crew of the Chinese vessels, which have since left
the islands' immediate vicinity, initially rebuffed Japanese orders to leave,
Japanese officials said.
"We are conducting official duty in Chinese
waters. Do not interfere. Leave China's territorial waters," the Chinese
crews said, according to the Japanese coastguard.
The waters around the disputed islands, which are
close to oil reserves, have been the scene of previous rows, including the
arrest of a Chinese trawlerman in late 2010.
Wednesday's spat is the latest clash over disputed
territory between China and its neighbours that threatens to overshadow
attempts to smooth regional relations at an Asian security summit in Cambodia
this week.
The 10 members of Southeast Asian regional body ASEAN
have been trying to agree a long-stalled "code of conduct" for the
South China Sea that would help settle overlapping claims in the resource-rich
waterway.
The Philippines is leading a push for ASEAN to unite
to persuade China to accept a code based on a UN law on maritime boundaries
that would delineate the areas belonging to each country.
Manila also wants ASEAN to condemn a standoff last
month between Philippine and Chinese ships over Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop
in the South China Sea.
Yang urged Japan to adhere to agreements and
understandings with China "in good faith" and said it should return
to "the right path of managing differences through dialogue and
consultation with the Chinese side."
Japan-China relations this year had seen "some
acute problems", the Chinese foreign minister acknowledged.
China's assertiveness over disputed territories in the
South China Sea, which is home to vital shipping lanes, is seen by analysts as
pushing anxious neighbouring countries closer to the United States.
Beijing also recently angered Vietnam by inviting bids
for exploration of oil blocks in contested waters, sparking protests in Hanoi.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in
Cambodia on Wednesday to press for closer relations with ASEAN, part of
Washington's strategy of "pivoting" towards Asia to challenge China's
influence.
She is to take part in the ASEAN Regional Forum on
Thursday, which brings together 26 nations and the European Union.
- AFP/wm
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