Souring ties in Northeast Asia cast shadow over trilateral summit

Preparations for a trilateral ­summit between China, Japan and South Korea face disarray as tensions rise between the northeast Asian neighbours.

Beijing reportedly cancelled a planned trip to Tokyo by assistant foreign minister Kong Xuanyou later this month as the Japanese side repeatedly protested against the activities of Chinese ships near disputed islands in the East China Sea, Japanese news outlet Asahi reported on Thursday.

Tensions between the two have risen sharply since last week as more than a dozen official ­Chinese ships accompanied ­hundreds of fishing boats in waters surrounding the disputed Japanese-controlled islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyus in China.

China’s ambassador to Japan, Cheng Yonghua, was summoned and handed a stern protest over the incidents.

Commenting on the spat, the United States said the uninhabited islets had been under Japanese administration, and fell within the scope of the 1960 US-Japan Treaty of ­Mutual Cooperation and Security.

“We oppose any unilateral ­action that seeks to undermine Japan’s administration of the Senkakus,” Elizabeth Trudeau of the US Department of State said.