Article Posted on : - Sep 28, 2012

A file photo.

BEIJING (PTI): Tensions between China and Japan over a group of disputed islands have reached a flashpoint with China saying that it has deployed naval ships around the islets for the first time and slamming Japan for "internationalising" the dispute by raising it at United Nations.

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun confirmed on Thursday that Chinese naval ships recently carried out patrolling and military training in waters off the Diaoyu Islands called Senkaku islets by Japan.

The confirmation came in response to Japanese media reports that two Chinese naval frigates were seen navigating waters off the Diaoyu Islands, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

This is the first time China has deployed naval frigates in the disputed waters. So far, it had been maintaining that it had sent a dozen maritime surveillance ships, akin to Coast Guard.

Also, over 1000 Chinese fishing boats which till recently kept off the area fearing detention by Japanese Coast Guard vessels began fishing around the waters.

Defending the move to deploy warships, Yang said Diaoyu Islands have been an inseparable part of Chinese territory since ancient times and it is legitimate for Chinese naval ships to carry out patrolling and training for military readiness in waters under Chinese jurisdiction.

Yang said the war of aggression by "Japanese militarists" had brought severe disasters to Asian people.

"Japan should learn from history and strictly keep to a purely defensive policy to build trust with its neighbouring countries and the international society," he said.

Meanwhile, the state television slammed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihido Noda for "internationalising" the island dispute by raking it up at the UN.

Noda, who addressed the UN General Assembly at New York, had told the media "as for the Senkakus, they are an inherent part of our territory in light of history and also under international law".

"There are no territorial issues as such. Therefore, there cannot be any compromise that represents a retreat from this position," he said.

In his speech at the UN Assembly Noda said "any state has a responsibility to protect peace, ensure the safety of its people, and protect its sovereignty, territorial land and sea.

Japan will also fulfill such responsibility in accordance with international law," Noda said.

The China-Japan spat intensified in recent weeks after Japan bought the islands from a private owner.

While thousands held marches in front of Japanese missions in China and in some cases damaged Japanese shops and factories, China has announced the islands as its baselines for its maritime boundary and submitted its claims to UN.