US expresses concern as Diaoyu Islands sovereignty dispute escalates
Washington urges Beijing to avoid actions that will intensify stand-off with Tokyo over islands
The United States has officially voiced its concern to Beijing after a Chinese maritime surveillance plane flew over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, over which both China and Japan claim sovereignty.
"It's important to avoid actions that raise tensions and to prevent miscalculations that could undermine peace, security and economic growth in the region," US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Friday.
China and Japan have long disputed the sovereignty of the islands, which Japan calls the Senkakus.
The US made clear that its "policy and commitments regarding the Senkaku Islands are long-standing and have not changed," Ventrell said.
Although the US maintains that it takes no side in the territorial dispute, Washington has said that it believes the island chain is covered by its security pact with Tokyo.
Japan scrambled eight F-15 fighter jets on Thursday after the China Marine Surveillance aircraft flew over the Diaoyus, which Tokyo called the first incursion into its airspace by a Chinese state aircraft since the Japanese military began monitoring in 1958.