U.S. defence chief urges China, Japan to exercise restraint

BEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated a call on Tuesday for China and Japan to exercise restraint in their dispute over ownership of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

"With respect to these current tensions, we are urging calm and restraint by all sides and encourage them to maintain open channels of communication in order to resolve these disputes diplomatically and peacefully," he told reporters in Beijing.