Biden on mission to calm tensions between China and Japan

US vice president Joe Biden would try to strike a delicate balance seeking to calm military tensions with China even while supporting ally Japan against Beijing on a trip to Asia this week that was being overshadowed by a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

In a bid to address criticism that the US was neglecting Asia due to distractions in the Middle East, the White House has long been planning a visit by Biden to Japan, China and South Korea.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over two tiny islands to which both Tokyo and Beijing lay claims. The relationship reached a flash point last year amid military brinkmanship following China in late November declaring an "air defense identification zone" that included the islands.

In Tokyo tomorrow, Biden would likely assure Japan that a military alliance with the US dating back to the 1950s remained on a strong footing  as the government of prime minister Shinzo Abe wrangled with China over the islands.

He would also try to calm tensions between the US and China over the same territorial dispute when he visits Beijing later in the week.

Meanwhile, Japan reiterated yesterday that Tokyo and Washington had both rejected Beijing's move to set up an air defence zone that included the islands, despite the fact that three US airlines, acting on government advice, were notifying China of plans to transit the zone.

According to Washington this did not mean acceptance of the zone by the US, which last week sent two B-52 bombers into the area without informing China.

"The US government has made it clear that it is deeply concerned about China's establishment of the air defence identification zone, and that it will not accept China's demands regarding operations in the zone," Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

Japan's two biggest carriers, would not to submit flight plans in advance, as demanded by China, since it announced the creation of the zone last month.

Sino-Japanese ties, tend to fray quickly due to regional rivalry, mutual mistrust and bitter Chinese memories of Japan's occupation of the country.

Their relations have soured in recent times due to the quarrel over uninhabited islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing.