Biden: US 'Deeply Concerned' At China Air Zone

US vice president Joe Biden has said the US is "deeply concerned" at the new air defence zone declared by Beijing over a set of disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Speaking from Tokyo, Mr Biden showed a united front with Japan, which has protested against the challenge to the status quo in the area.

"This action has raised regional tensions and increased the risk of accidents and miscalculation," the vice president told a news conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"I will be raising these issues with great specificity when I meet with Chinese leadership the day after tomorrow."

Tokyo is pressing Washington to be more active in supporting Japan in the escalating dispute with China over the airspace above the tiny islands that Beijing and Tokyo both claim.

The US and Japan have refused to recognise China's air defence zone. Washington and its allies are concerned China's move is part of a broader strategy to assert increasing authority in the region.

However, the US has been careful not to create a new fault line in its relationship with China at a time when it is pursuing a new era of economic co-operation with Beijing.

The disputed islands are small but likely surrounded by energy-rich waters

Mr Biden called on Japan and China to find ways to ease tensions.

"This underscores the need for crisis management mechanisms and effective channels of communication between China and Japan to reduce the risk of escalation," he said.

Washington takes no position on the sovereignty of the disputed islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. However, it recognises Tokyo's administrative control and says a US-Japan security pact applies to them.

Beijing says all aircraft entering the newly-imposed air defence zone must notify Chinese authorities beforehand or face unspecified defensive measures.

US, Japanese and South Korean military aircraft all breached the zone last week without informing Beijing and China later scrambled fighters into the area.

Mr Biden is on an Asian tour that includes stops in South Korea and China.

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