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The United States has called for peace to prevail as tension between China and Japan intensified over the disputed islands in the East China Sea. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that Washington will not take sides in the matter. He said the region was the ‘cockpit of the global economy’, and it was ‘of utmost importance’ that peace and stability be maintained. “The stakes could not be bigger and the desire is to have all leaders to keep that squarely in mind,” he said. According to the BBC, China has sent two patrol ships to islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China , on Tuesday. This came after Japan signed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner. According to the report, China ’s defence ministry issued a strongly worded statement against Japan ’s move to buy the islands. "The Chinese Government and armed forces stand firm and are unshakeable in its determination and will safeguard sovereignty over the nation's territories," ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said. "We are watching closely the evolution of the situation and reserve the right to take reciprocal measures," he added. Japan said that it was buying the islands to promote their stable and peaceful management. "We have absolutely no desire for any repercussions as far as Japan-China relations are concerned. It is important that we avoid misunderstanding and unforeseen problems," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said. According to the report, Fujimura said that the government had set aside 2.05 billion yen ($26m, £16.4m) to buy the three islands.

US calls for peace to prevail to resolve China, Japan islands spat