US Navy scraps plans to send ship to China fleet review after Japan snubbed

The United States has scrapped a plan for one of its navy ships to join a fleet review in China after key ally Japan was not invited, US officials said, days before Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel begins a trip to Japan and China.

The US had been invited to participate in the fleet review - essentially a parade of ships - as part of activities linked to the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, which is being held this month in Qingdao.

It will still participate in the naval symposium and observe the review, one US official said. "We're not going to put a ship in the actual parade; we'll observe the parade," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision was taken last week and came at Japan's request.

Itsunori Onodera, Japan's defence minister, said yesterday that Japan would take part in the naval symposium, which is held regularly, but confirmed that it had not been invited to the fleet review.

"Japan is responding calmly, but it is unfortunate that China took such approach," he said.

The US decision was another sign of troubled Sino-Japanese ties, chilled by a territorial dispute over a group of East China Sea islets.

Yet Chinese experts said the snub would have little impact on the Sino-US military exchanges.