America and Japan have reacted angrily after China issued a map of an air defence zone that includes a chain of disputed islands.
The US expressed concern about China's "unilateral action" and Japan said the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone, which came into effect yesterday, was "totally unacceptable".
Beijing has also issued a set of rules for the zone, saying all aircraft must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey orders. It said it would "identify, monitor, control and react" to any air threats or unidentified flying objects coming from the sea.
In Tokyo, Junichi Ihara, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, protested by phone to China's acting ambassador to Japan, Han Zhiqiang, saying the zone was "totally unacceptable".
Both Beijing and Tokyo claim the islets, called Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese.
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