Chinese coast guard ships sailed into waters off Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea yesterday, officials said, after Tokyo’s annual defense paper warned over China’s “dangerous acts” near the disputed archipelago.
The report, published on Tuesday, said frequent appearances by Chinese ships in the area could lead to “unintended consequences,” as fears grow over a potential military clash.
Three Chinese vessels sailed into territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles (22km) around one of the Senkaku Islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus (釣魚群島), the Japanese coast guard said.
The islands are known as the Diaoyutais (釣魚台) in Taiwan, which also claims them.
The ships entered the area at about 10am and left about two hours later, the coast guard said.
Despite the rising tensions, Japan and China’s coast guards are currently taking part in three-day joint drills, which started on Tuesday, alongside counterparts from the US and Russia.
The peculiar timing saw coast guard members, who sometimes play cat-and-mouse at sea, taking part in diving drills, among other exercises.
Tokyo nationalized some of the islands nearly two years ago, setting off a diplomatic row with Beijing, although the two countries still occasionally work together on exercises such as the coast guard drills.
Since the dispute flared anew, Chinese vessels and aircraft have regularly approached the islands, with Japan’s coast guard in pursuit.
China responded to Tuesday’s defense paper by saying Japan was “deliberately creating a ‘Chinese threat’ as an excuse to adjust its military policy.”
The paper might dent Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (西近平) during a regional meeting in Beijing in November.
Abe and Xi, both strong nationalists, have not held a bilateral summit since they both came to power more than 18 months ago.
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