EU calls for calm in Japan versus China, Taiwan isle dispute

(BRUSSELS) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday called for calm as tension mounted in a dispute pitting China and Taiwan against Japan over islands in the East China Sea.

As coastguard vessels from Japan and Taiwan duelled with water cannon, Ashton said in a statement that "with its significant interests in the region, the EU is following with concern developments in East Asia's maritime areas."

The five-line statement named no names but came as dozens of Taiwanese boats escorted by patrol ships sailed into waters around Tokyo-controlled islands.

The escalation in a row over ownership of the islands that pits Tokyo against Beijing and Taipei complicates a volatile territorial dispute with China.

Beijing also locked in a separate row over the strategic South China Sea against claims by several nations including the Philippines.

"The EU urges all parties concerned to seek peaceful and cooperative solutions in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the statement said.

"The EU calls on all parties to take steps to calm the situation," it concluded.