Video - China sends patrol ships amid Japan island row.

Video - China sends patrol ships amid Japan island row.(AlJazeera).

China has dispatched two marine surveillance ships to the waters around the Diaoyu islands - known in Japan as the Senkaku islands - in the East China Sea to "assert the country's sovereignty". 

Japan brushed off stern warnings by China on Tuesday and bought the group of islands that both sides claim in a growing dispute that threatens to deepen strains between Asia's two biggest economies. The islands lie around 200km from Taiwan and 2,000km from Tokyo in a strategically important shipping area near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge maritime gas fields. Taiwan recalled its envoy from Japan in reaction to the mounting territorial row over the uninhabited islands. The move came after the Japanese ambassador to Beijing was summoned to the foreign ministry to protest Japan's decision to buy three of the islands. Japan said the islands would formally fall under the remit of its Coast Guard. Tokyo refused to confirm the presence of the Chinese vessels, but said it would deal with them "appropriately" if they come near.
Addressing reporters at a news conference Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said: "If they are indeed entering the waters around the Senkaku Islands, then we will demand they not cross over in to our territorial waters."
Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, said the islands were "an inherent part of China's territory" and vowed his country would "never ever yield an inch" on its sovereignty. China’s foreign minister Timothy Yang said in a statement: "We sternly condemn Japan's nationalising the Diaoyu islands, which is an "We strongly demand that the Japanese government revokes this move. Japan's unilateral and illegal action cannot change the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) owns the Diaoyu islands." Tokyo insists that it has only peaceful intentions behind the 2.05bn yen ($26.18m) purchase of the three islands in the East China Sea, until now leased by the government from a Japanese family that has owned them since early 1970s.Hmmmmm.........Who will be willing to 'loose face'?Read the full story here.