Senkaku dispute spreading from China, Japan to U.S.
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In the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands, an American plane reportedly approached the airspace and Chinese aircraft pursued the U.S. plane, the Sankei newspaper of Japan reported.
This gave the signal that the dispute is perhaps spreading into a three-nation affair.
According to the report, the Chinese military launched an emergency flight in pursuit of an American submarine P-3C and a U.S . Air Force C-130.
The report said the Chinese air force was pursuing the American plane despite the apparent fact that it was flying airspace just between China and Japan.
The Chinese air force has been gathering flight information over the Senkaku Islands for quite some time but this has strengthened after Xi Jinping became leader of the Chinese government at the end of last year.
The development follows a decision by the United States to deploy nine F-22 Stealth fighter planes in the Gadena Air Force Base in Okinawa with three additional units on the way.