U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrives in China amid airspace dispute By Holly Yan and Mariano Castillo, CNN December 4, 2013 -- Updated 0615 GMT (1415 HKT) Biden will meet with China's vice president and president on Wednesday The visit comes a day after he told Japan he would press China on its airspace claim China claimed a large swath of airspace over the East China Sea, drawing ire from several countries (CNN) -- Just a day after he assured his Japanese hosts that he will press China over disputed airspace, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to meet with Chinese leaders under a cloud of tension. The visit comes about two weeks after China claimed a large swath of airspace over the East China Sea. That declaration prompted a war of words between governments as well as disputes over flights by military planes from the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. "We, the United States, are deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea," Biden said at a news conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday. Biden will meet with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and attend a dinner hosted by President Xi Jinping. Why the airspace matters U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki reiterated this week that Washington does not recognize the air defense zone nor China's demand to be notified of plans by jets from other nations to fly into the area. Praise for Japan Biden praised the alliance between the United States and Japan, saying the U.S. commitment to Japan is critical. Now, China's new air defense zone overlaps significantly with that of Japan and encompasses the disputed islands and the natural resources around them. But Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, defended China's actions in a written statement. China's airspace claim, he said, "is a zone of safety, not risks, a zone of cooperation, not competition." Without naming the United States, Geng warned third countries about becoming involved in the dispute. "Other parties concerned should also mind their words and actions, and should not do things to undermine regional stability and bilateral relations," he said. Other parties should not be incited, or send wrong signals to make a very few countries go further on the wrong track, which will follow the same old disastrous road and undermine regional and world peace. CNN's Jethro Mullen and Steve Brusk contributed to this report.