Foreign Minister David Lin (林永樂) yesterday called for a peaceful resolution to the East China Sea sovereignty row as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began his trip to the United States amid the ongoing disputes between Tokyo and Taipei over the Diaoyutai Islands.

Russia and China said on Friday they saw eye-to-eye on all the world's problems including the Syria conflict, as the Chinese foreign minister was in Moscow to prepare a visit by new leader Xi Jinping later this year.

Activists staged a protest in front of the Japanese representative office in Taipei yesterday, demanding Tokyo pay compensation for their damaged vessel following a face-off with Japanese coast guard ships near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands last month.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) will not align itself with China in dealing with issues related to the disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Steve Hsia reiterated yesterday.

China took control of Pakistan's Gwadar port on Monday as part of its drive to secure energy and maritime routes that also gives it a potential Arabian Sea naval base, sparking Indian concern.

Three Chinese government ships entered disputed waters Friday, the Japanese coastguard said, as the two countries' soured relationship grew more complex following North Korea's nuclear test.

The United States and China joined other world powers in a chorus of condemnation Tuesday after North Korea carried out a third nuclear test in defiance of stark international warnings.

A court in China has handed down heavy sentences to a Tibetan monk and his nephew for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in anti-Chinese protests, media said on Thursday, the first time punishment has been meted out over such protests.

China said Wednesday that its navy would proceed with a deep-water training exercise amid a continuing spat with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea that has sparked regular confrontations among patrol boats from each side.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ruled out a general amnesty for Kurdish militants on Sunday but said intelligence agents would continue to talk to the rebels' jailed leader in a bid to end a near three-decade insurgency.