China plans to survey disputed islands

BEIJING (AP) — China says it plans to conduct a detailed survey of an island group at the heart of a simmering territorial dispute with Japan.

The upcoming study of the islands announced Tuesday is part of a comprehensive survey of China's maritime claims. The planned survey also includes islands in the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and others.

No other details were given. The move reflects Beijing's increasingly assertive attitude toward its island claims that has sparked fears of a regional conflagration.

Tensions mounted in September after Beijing responded furiously to Tokyo's purchase of the islands from their private owners. The tiny, uninhabited rocks surrounded by rich fishing grounds and suspected undersea mineral resources are known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.