China won't 'stir up troubles' in Japan dispute: Minister

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) and Chinese Minister of Defense Chang Wanquan gesture to members of the media prior to their meeting at the Chinese Defense Ministry headquarters in Beijing on April 8, 2014. Beijing will not act first to
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) and Chinese Minister of Defense Chang Wanquan gesture to members of the media prior to their meeting at the Chinese Defense Ministry headquarters in Beijing on April 8, 2014. Beijing will not act first to stir up troubles over island disputes with neighbours, China's defence minister said on Tuesday at a meeting with American counterpart Chuck Hagel. -- PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING (AFP) - Beijing will not act first to "stir up troubles" over island disputes with neighbours, China's defence minister said on Tuesday at a meeting with American counterpart Chuck Hagel.

China and Japan are embroiled in a bitter row over disputed islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo, with the tensions raising concerns about the possibility of a clash between the Asian powers.

"We will not take the initiative to stir up troubles," General Chang Wanquan told a joint news conference in Beijing, a day after officers allowed the US Defence Secretary to tour the country's first aircraft carrier, a rare move by the normally secretive People's Liberation Army.

"China has indisputable sovereignty" over the islands in dispute with Japan, Chang said, calling territorial sovereignty a "core issue" on which "we will make no compromise".

But he added that China was ready to resolve disputes peacefully "with the countries involved".

Last November Beijing unilaterally declared an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, including the disputed islands, prompting condemnation by Washington.

Beijing requires aircraft flying through its ADIZ to identify themselves and maintain communication with Chinese authorities, but the zone is not a claim of sovereignty.

Hagel said countries have a right to ADIZs but said setting them up without consulting other governments was risky as it could lead to "misunderstandings" and "eventually get to a dangerous conflict".

Beijing is involved in disputes in the South China Sea as well as the East China Sea and Hagel reiterated that the US takes no position on territorial issues, wanting the disagreements resolved "peacefully." But he added that the "Philippines and Japan are longtime allies of the United States".

Washington had treaties with both countries and "we are fully committed to those treaty obligations", he said.

US officials said the visit to the carrier marked a promising step by the Chinese but the two sides remained deeply divided over the regional territorial disputes, the threat posed by North Korea and cyber-spying, with each side trading accusations of digital espionage.

In his talks, which followed a visit to Japan, Hagel urged authorities to pursue a more open dialogue about cyber-warfare.

"Greater openness about cyber reduces the risk that misunderstanding and misperception could lead to miscalculation," Hagel said.

A senior US defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "We have tried to be as open and transparent on that as we can be. And we would like to see them be able to reciprocate".

But the Chinese so far had not "reciprocated", said the official, confirming a New York Times report.

The United States is investing heavily in a new cyber warfare command, and suspects PLA units are behind an increasing number of digital attacks on government and US corporate networks.

But China accuses the US of waging its own cyber offensive after revelations of far-reaching electronic espionage by the US National Security Agency, including media reports the spy service hacked into telecoms giant Huawei's network.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.