TOKYO?China's delegation to the Tokyo International Film Festival protested angrily over the name used by Japanese organizers for participants from Taiwan, event officials and Chinese state media said Monday.

Amid conflicting reports Chinese newspapers said that Beijing's delegation had pulled out of the event in protest after festival organizers refused to change the name of the island's contingent from "Taiwan" to "China's Taiwan" or "Chinese Taipei."

But the festival hosts said the Chinese had not withdrawn, saying representatives from China and Taiwan had pledged to stay in Tokyo for the whole festival, despite their absence from the opening carpet walk Saturday.

The incident comes amid a simmering dispute between China and Japan over a contested island chain in the East China Sea, sparked seven weeks ago when Tokyo arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain near the rocky islets.

Chinese state-run media reported Monday that the head of the Chinese delegation, Jiang Ping, had pulled out blaming Japanese festival authorities.

The official name used for Taiwan has been a sensitive issue for China since the two split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Beijing still considers the self-ruled island part of its territory awaiting reunification.

China's Global Times daily quoted Jiang as saying: "It is regretful that the Chinese delegation has decided to pull out of festival-related event because the organizers covertly violated the One-China Policy.

"It has nothing to do with our Taiwan compatriots. It is the fault of the Tokyo organizers," said Jiang, a senior official in the film division of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

The Global Times also reported that China had pulled its films from the festival ? but organizers in Tokyo disputed the report.

"The Chinese films started screening yesterday (Sunday). I'm not aware of any of them being cancelled," said festival office chief Nobushige Toshima.

Toshima confirmed that both Taiwan's and China's delegations had experienced "trouble" and skipped Saturday's festival opening, but added that representatives from the two nations had pledged to remain until it closes on October 31.

He also said he was baffled by the flare-up.

"We have used the description 'Taiwan' for several years, and this is the first time that a Chinese delegation has complained about it," Toshima said.

He added that the festival "is an opportunity for communication through cinema and culture. It's very disappointing that they (the Chinese delegation) tried to send a political message like that."

Taiwan on Monday also warned Beijing to avoid escalating the issue.

"Any unfriendly move could easily harm hard-won goodwill and mutual trust," Lo Chih-chiang, the spokesman of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, told the state-affiliated Central News Agency.

"It has also hurt the feelings of the Taiwan people... the mainland authorities must not consider this issue lightly, but should immediately act to make amends over it."

Taiwan's Premier Wu Den-yih also rebuked Jiang, saying the demand was "unreasonable and rude" and Jiang had made a "serious mistake."