The Chinese ships were spotted this morning by the Japanese Coast Guard. Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State declared the islands under the responsibility of the Japanese, are covered by a security treaty with the United States.

Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Three Chinese ships entered in Japanese territorial waters today near the Senkaku / Diaoyu islands disputed between Tokyo and Beijing. The violation comes only a few hours from a warning issued by the United States, urging Beijing not to challenge the sovereignty of Tokyo.

Japanese coast guards spotted the Chinese ships this morning at 8. In recent months, China has always challenged the sovereignty of the islands with Japanese ships and aircraft. In recent months, the dispute that has lasted for years has strained relations between China and Japan, penalizing Japanese investment in the Empire.

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton, at a joint press conference with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, said - with a clear message to Beijing - that "We oppose any unilateral action that threatens the Japanese government." Clinton said that the disputed islands were under Japanese sovereignty and therefore protected by a security treaty with the United States. "We would like China and Japan - she added - to resolve this issue peacefully through dialogue."

The South China Sea atolls (Senkaku to the Japanese, Diaoyu to the Chinese) are located on oneof the most important shipping routes and its waters are rich in fish. In the 60s, some analysts argued that the seabed is rich in oil and gas. Since then, Beijing, which had never given much importance to the atolls - colonized by Japan and then managed by the U.S. - began to lay claim to sovereignty.

• CHINA-JAPAN-US
• Senkaku
• /
• Diaoyu
• sovreignty
• tension