China Coast Guard sails into Japan-administered waters
The Chinese Coast Guard said the formation of Chinese Coast Guard ships passed through the waters of the Senkaku Islands as a “rights enforcement patrol.”
Sunday’s announcement comes as Beijing escalates tensions with Japan over its prime minister’s remarks about Taiwan.
The diplomatic row between China and Japan has intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on Nov. 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
These remarks sparked an angry response from Beijing, signaling that it expected Takaichi to retract his remarks in some way.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to seize control of the island, which is just 110 km from Japanese territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The statement said, “Chinese Coast Guard ship 1307 formation carried out patrols in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. This was a legal patrol operation carried out by the Chinese Coast Guard to protect its rights and interests.”
China and Japan have repeatedly clashed around the Japanese-administered islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu and Tokyo calls Senkaku.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Japan has faced increasing pressure from China since Takaichi’s statements, with China’s Consul General in Osaka commenting: “The dirty head that exposes itself should be cut off.” It sparked an official protest from Tokyo.
Beijing then summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in more than two years, and China’s defense ministry declared that any Japanese intervention would be doomed to failure.
China on Friday warned its citizens not to travel to Japan, prompting Tokyo to call on Beijing to take “appropriate measures” but gave no further details.
Three Chinese airlines said on Saturday that tickets to Japan can be refunded or exchanged free of charge.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday that it had detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and seven navy ships operating around the island in the past 24 hours.
Late Saturday, the ministry said China was conducting another “joint combat patrol” to “harass the airspace and sea around us.”
