Japan to handle 'invasive' jets with int'l standards, China on high alert (2)

China on high alert for escalating tensions over the Diaoyu Islands

In response to media reports about Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera’s tough stance toward China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that China is on high alert for Japan’s escalating tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.

"China has taken note of relevant reports. The patrol conducted by China's public service ships and planes in waters and airspace of the islands is a normal performance of duty to exercise jurisdiction," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said.

He also reiterated China's opposition to Japanese planes and vessels entering the waters and airspace of the Diaoyu Islands.

Relations between Japan and China have soured since the Japanese government said it would "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea in 2012. China insists that the islands are part of its inherent territory.

We Recommend:
Unwise foreign policy turns Japan into its own enemy	Observe China through diplomatic hot words	China to surpass U.S. by 2049: report
BRICS remain engines for global economic growth	Can Abe's tortuous diplomacy contain China?	Cold War mentality fuels U.S. satellite export prejudice