Chinese, Japanese ships snarl near disputed islands
Countries face off once more in East China Sea
Chinese patrol boats confronted Japanese vessels near a disputed East China Sea archipelago early Tuesday, the latest in a series of such encounters following Tokyo’s nationalization of the islands last month.
Four ships from China Marine Surveillance entered waters near the islands at 10 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the State Oceanic Administration that commands the service. The ships conducted surveillance on the Japanese Coast Guard vessels in the area, “sternly expressed” China’s sovereignty claim over the islands and “carried out expulsion measures,” the administration said.
Japanese Coast Guard spokesman Yuji Kito said ships from both countries flashed signs saying they were in their own territorial waters and demanding the other side leave.
“The Chinese flashed the signs in Chinese and Japanese,” said Kito, from Okinawa, which has jurisdiction over the islands. “They have done this before and so have we.” He said the situation was not more intense than previous encounters.
The uninhabited islets, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are also claimed by Taiwan.
China has launched increasingly frequent patrols around the islands since angrily protesting the Japanese government’s decision to purchase them from their private owners. Chinese ships have at times entered the 22-kilometre zone that Tokyo considers its territorial waters near the islands and Chinese aircraft have also stepped up activity around them.
Tokyo’s nationalization sparked violent protests in dozens of Chinese cities and sent relations nose diving.