U.S., Japanese officials discuss 'increased Chinese assertiveness'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Wednesday, and the two expressed concern about "increased Chinese assertiveness" around the Senkaku islands, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

In the East China Sea, China claims a group of uninhabited Japanese-administered islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The dispute has plagued bilateral relations for years.