海角大神

China聽strongly criticized Japan over a scramble of military aircraft from the two countries on Monday amid a dispute over islands in the East聽China聽Sea.

Two Japanese fighter jets took "provocative actions" at a high speed near a pair of Chinese fighter jets that were carrying out patrols in the East聽China聽Sea on June 17,聽China's defense ministry said in a microblog statement on Monday, without specifying where exactly the incident took place.

The Japanese planes used fire-control radar to "light up" the Chinese aircraft, the statement added.

Japan's senior military officer has acknowledged there was a scramble but has denied that any radar lock by the Chinese jet occurred or that the incident turned dangerous.

"The Japanese plane's provocative actions caused an accident in the air, endangering the safety of personnel on both sides, and destroying the peace and stability in the region,"聽China's Defence Ministry said, adding the Chinese aircraft "responded resolutely."

China聽called on Japan to cease all provocative action, the statement added.

The statement about the incident comes after Japan's top military commander accused聽China聽of escalating military activity in the East聽China聽Sea, saying Japanese emergency scrambles to counter Chinese jets almost doubled over the past three months.

Japan is embroiled in a dispute with聽China聽in the East聽China聽Sea over ownership of a group of islands which lie about 220 km (140 miles) northeast of Taiwan, known as the Senkakus in Tokyo and the Diaoyu islands in Beijing.

Japan is worried that聽China聽is escalating its activity in the East聽China聽Sea in response to Tokyo's pledge to support countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Vietnam, that opposeChina's territorial claims in the South聽China聽Sea.聽

Meanwhile, China announced that it聽will hold military drills around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South聽China聽Sea, the maritime safety administration said on Sunday, ahead of a decision by an international court in a dispute between聽China聽and the Philippines.

China聽routinely carries out exercises in the South聽China聽Sea, where its territorial claims overlap in parts with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Tensions have been rising ahead of a July 12 ruling by an arbitration court hearing the dispute between聽China聽and the Philippines over the South聽China聽Sea in the Dutch city of The Hague.

As 海角大神 reports, the聽tribunal, invoked by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration,聽is expected to rule that the Philippines should control a series of shoals and land outcroppings claimed and largely administered by China. China argues that the tribunal has no jurisdiction in the matter.

Officially, the US doesn鈥檛 take a position on the competing sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, where Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia also contest their rights to territory, fishing, and oil extraction. But China鈥檚 push to build and administer artificial islands in those waters has angered officials in the Pentagon, creating potential for naval skirmishes to erupt.

In an email to the Monitor, Mark Valencia, an adjunct senior scholar at China鈥檚 National Institute for South China Sea Studies, echoed the idea that the dispute could turn into conflict. 鈥淭he Philippines, with US backing, may try to enforce the ruling by upping its activities in the disputed areas,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渁nd China may likely push back.鈥�

In a brief online statement,聽China's maritime safety administration said the drills would take place from July 5-11, and gave coordinates for the drills that cover an area from the east of聽China's Hainan island down to and including the Paracels.

Other ships are prohibited from entering those waters during that time, it said, without further elaboration.

The Paracels are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

China聽has built a runway on Woody Island, the site of the largest Chinese presence on the Paracels, and placed surface-to-air missiles there, according to U.S. officials.

China聽says it is perfectly within its rights to do what it wants on the islands in the South聽ChinaSea, saying they have been Chinese territory since ancient times.

About $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year though the energy-rich, strategic waters of the South聽China聽Sea.

(Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in TOKYO; Editing by Nick Macfie)