Japan's actions belie its claim to improve ties

That Japan dispatched a submarine to join other Japanese warships in a drill in the South China Sea has certainly raised tensions in the region, especially as the drill, the first Japanese exercise of its kind, was held in the waters south of China's Huangyan Island on Thursday.

The Japanese move came a couple of weeks after a British Royal Navy warship, HMS Albion, sailed close to China's Xisha Islands in the South China Sea in what Britain claimed was a freedom of navigation operation, triggering a strong protest from China for violating its maritime sovereignty.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's provocative action has also cast doubts on Tokyo's sincerity to improve relations with Beijing at a time when Japan is making preparations for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's possible visit to China.