Several ASEAN nations dispute ownership of islands with China, and China's preparedness to assert its claims with aggressive warnings and even a bit of gunboat diplomacy has worried smaller neighbours, notably Vietnam and the Philippines.
North-east of the South China Sea lies a small crop of islands that Japan and China are squabbling over.
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"The Diaoyu islands and affiliated islands are part of China's inherent territory, " he said.
Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan are also in dispute with China over the sovereignty of islands in the South China Sea.
The results were the first production gains for the three biggest Japanese auto makers since a territorial row over a group of islands in the East China Sea led to boycotts of Japanese goods in September.
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But their respective policy differences over two small islands off the coast of China were lost in the stark contrast between a Nixon who looked so pale and unwell that his mother phoned him up afterwards to ask if he was OK, and a tanned, relaxed Kennedy.
Since last summer, Japan has been embroiled in a rancorous dispute with China over a group of small East China Sea islands.
Since last summer, Japan has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with China over a group of small East China Sea islands.
Before the ink on the law had dried, China upgraded the administrative status of Sansha City, encompassing a group of disputed islands in the South China Sea, and established a military garrison.
They were about 150km (95 miles) from a group of islands at the centre of a dispute between Japan and China.
It is taking place off Okinawa, north of islands both Japan and China claim.
The radar incident happened near a group of islands in the East China Sea which both countries claim.
They have been hurt by a territorial dispute between Beijing and Japan over a group of islands in the East China Sea.
Japan and Taiwan have signed a deal allowing Taiwan to fish near a group of disputed islands, prompting China to express "extreme concerns".
BBC: China anger at Japan-Taiwan disputed island fishing deal
However, the dispute centred around a group of islands in the East China Sea, which flared up late last year, has hurt relations between the two countries and seen Japan's exports to China decline.
Sansha's first mayor, Xiao Jie, said last month the development and improvement of Sansha city will strengthen China's sovereignty of the islands.
The two nations have been arguing over control of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
Tokyo and Beijing have been at loggerheads over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Oriental Daily News features a photo of a "Diaoyu Islands are China's" lantern on display in Meishan in Sichuan.
Relations with Vietnam have also worsened in recent years as China has asserted a historic claim to much of the South China Sea, including islands for which the two countries have previously fought for control.
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Bacuit Bay, home to an archipelago of 45 islands bordering the South China Sea, occupies a place in the Filipino psychogeography like Alaska's in the American imagination: an unspoiled national Eden that few citizens ever get around to visiting.
Toyota has been hit by a resurgence of anti-Japanese sentiment in China because of a territorial dispute over tiny islands, and some Chinese are worried about being seen driving a Japanese car.
Ties between Tokyo and Beijing are currently very strained over a row about ownership of islands both claim in the East China Sea.
Both countries are locked in a dispute over ownership of resource-rich islands in the South China Sea.
"Abe fails to get full US backing over islands", declares the front page of the China Daily.
About half of all US troops based in Japan are stationed in Okinawa, which lies south of Japan's main islands in the East China Sea.
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