Cheng said both sides need to make efforts through diplomatic dialogue to keep the situation under control and reiterated China's territorial claims to the islands. Yasay said that the two countries have had "the same experience in East China Sea and the South China Sea ... with respect to certain actions that use force, intimidation and provocation in order to assert one's claim over a particular territory." A day before he flew to the Philippines on Wednesday, Kishida summoned China's ambassador in Tokyo to protest the increased number of Chinese vessels in waters near islands in the East China Sea that China and Japan have been contesting. Kishida told Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua that the ships must leave the area, saying their presence has escalated tensions. The top diplomats from Japan and the Philippines called on China Thursday to avoid intimidating actions and follow the rule of law in disputed waters where Beijing has defied an arbitration ruling that invalidated its expansive territorial claims.

Source: ABC News August 11, 2016 08:58 UTC