ovember 24, 2013 -- Updated 0921 GMT (1721 HKT)
(CNN) -- The United States warned Saturday that
China's military claim to airspace over a disputed island chain creates
the risk of "misunderstanding and miscalculation."
China warns Japan over military exercises
Disputed islands buzzing with activity
Clinton: Diplomacy to end land disputes
Why is Japan feuding over islands?
Anti-Japanese protests erupt in China
The United States warns China's military claim to airspace over a
disputed island chain creates risk of "misunderstanding and
miscalculation." FULL STORY
US: China claim of air rights over disputed islands 'creates risk of incident'
November 24, 2013 -- Updated 0544 GMT (1344 HKT)
An aerial photo of Uotsuri Island, one of the disputed Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands, on September 7, 2013.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- China releases a map and coordinates that identify its "Air Defense Identification Zone"
- The zone includes disputed islands -- known as Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China
- China began air patrols over the zone on Saturday
- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called the move is an attempt to destabilize the status quo in the region
The creation of an "Air
Defense Identification Zone" by China, which its top defense official
described as an early-warning system, comes amid rising tensions between
China and Japan over claims to the islands that are believed to have
large oil reserves.
"This unilateral action
constitutes an attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea.
Escalatory action will only increase tensions in the region and create
risks of an incident," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
"...We have urged China
to exercise caution and restraint, and we are consulting with Japan and
other affected parties throughout the region."
China warns Japan over military exercises
Disputed islands buzzing with activity
Clinton: Diplomacy to end land disputes
Why is Japan feuding over islands?
Anti-Japanese protests erupt in China
The dispute over the islands
-- known as the Senkaku Islands by Japan and the Diaoyu by China -- has
strained relations between the two countries. The islands are close to
strategically important shipping lanes and their legal owners would also
have the right to the rich marine life in surrounding waters.
Even as China's Ministry of National Defense said the new air defense zone was not directed toward a specific country, it released a map and coordinates that shows the zone covers most of East China Sea, as well as the islands.
"This is a necessary measure taken by China in exercising its self-defense right," Col. Yang Yugun said in remarks posted on the ministry website.
"It is not directed against any specific country or target. It does not
affect the freedom of over-flight in the related airspace."
The Chinese defense ministry also said it began patrols of the zone on Saturday.
Japan's defense ministry said two Chinese planes came within miles of its airspace, prompting authorities to scramble Japanese fighter jets.
It's the second time
this month that Japan has launched fighter jets, alleging Chinese planes
appeared to be closing in on its air space.
U.S. Secretary of
Defense Chuck Hagel called the move by China an attempt to destabilize
the status quo in the region, and it "increases the risk of
misunderstanding and miscalculations."
"This announcement by
the People's Republic of China will not in any way change how the United
States conducts military operations in the region," Hagel said.
The disagreement over who owns the islands flared between the two countries in the latter half of 2012.
Protests erupted in
China after Japan announced it had bought several of the disputed
islands from private Japanese owners. The deal was struck in part to
prevent the islands from being bought by Tokyo governor Shintaro
Ishihara, who had called for donations for a public fund to buy them.
China was outraged, as
were protesters who marched through several Chinese cities calling for
boycotts of Japanese products and urging the government to give the
islands back.
In December 2012, the
dispute escalated when Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese
plane was seen near the islands. A number of Chinese ships also have
entered contested waters despite warnings from the Japanese Coast Guard.
China says its claim
extends back hundreds of years. Japan says it saw no trace of Chinese
control of the islands in an 1885 survey, so formally recognized them as
Japanese sovereign territory in 1895. Japan then sold the islands in
1932 to descendants of the original settlers.
The Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 only served to cloud the issue further.
The islands were
administered by the U.S. occupation force after the war. But in 1972,
Washington returned them to Japan as part of its withdrawal from
Okinawa.
Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province, also lays claim to the islands.
CNN's Barbara Starr and Tom Dunlavey contributed to this report.
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