China steps up appeal to West in Japan propaganda battle

A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 2012. REUTERS/Kyodo

SHENYANG, China (Reuters) - China took reporters on Thursday on an unusual trip to a camp which housed Western prisoners of the Japanese in World War Two, a further sign of Beijing broadening efforts to drive a wedge between the West and Japan over its wartime past.

The visit comes as tensions between Asia's two largest economies rise to a fever pitch, and China works to convince the world of its viewpoint that Japan's war-era militarism is directly linked to its current military build-up.