The United States is sending a dangerous message on the territorial dispute between China and Japan, which may lead the tension in the East China Sea to spin out of control.

On the one hand, after talking with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington on Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her country wants to see China and Japan resolve this matter peacefully through dialogue: "We do not want to see any action taken by anyone that could raise tensions or result in miscalculations that would undermine the peace, security, and economic growth in this region."

On the other hand, she announced that China's Diaoyu Islands are under the administration of Japan and the US-Japan Security Treaty obliges the US to defend Japan in the event of island-related hostilities.