Washington, Nov 12 (UNI) Democratic Party presidential hopeful Joe Biden on Thursday assured Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that Washington will help defend a group of Japan-administered islets in the East China Sea, under a bilateral security treaty.

Joe Biden is projected by the US media to be the winner of the US presidential elections.

His comments on the Senkaku Islands drew a swift rebuke from Beijing, which claims them as its own territory.

Speaking to reporters after a 10-minute conversation, Mr Suga emphasised the importance of the alliance with the US.

'The alliance is crucial, amid the increasingly difficult security environment surrounding Japan, as well as for the peace and prosperity of the international community,' he said.

Biden's team also released a statement, where it 'underscored his deep commitment to the defence of Japan and US commitments under Article 5'. The Japanese officials said he specifically mentioned the Senkaku islands, on which China stakes a claim and calls them Diaoyu.

Article 5 clause in the 1960 Japan-US security treaty obligates Washington to respond to any armed attacks on territories under Japan's administration. Roughly 55,000 American troops are stationed in Japan, ready to respond to contingencies in the region.

For asserting control on the islands, China from time-to-time, sends coast guard ships near the islands. The islands are rich fishing waters and potentially sit on top of large oil and gas reserves.

Biden's comments drew instant rebuke from Beijing, as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called the islands "China's inherent territory."

The security treaty is a "product of the Cold War" that "should not harm the interests of third parties and endanger regional peace and stability," he said.

Biden served for eight years as Vice-President under Barack Obama, who in 2014 became the first US President to publicly state that the Senkakus were covered by Article 5.

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