Anniversary voyage near Diaoyus not all it seems

Two People's Liberation Army Navy ships patrolled waters near the disputed Diaoyu Islands yesterday - the 118th anniversary of China's ceding of the chain to Japan.

Missile destroyer Lanzhou and missile frigate Hengshui from the navy's South Sea Fleet patrolled the area around the islands in the East China Sea, the navy website said.

However, China Central Television said the ships only "entered" non-disputed waters about 70 nautical miles from the islands, which Japan calls the Senkakus.

The appearance of the PLA ships near the Diaoyus coincided with the date of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, in which the Qing dynasty government was forced to cede Taiwan and all its affiliated islands, including the Diaoyus, to Japan and pay a war indemnity of 7,450 tonnes of silver to Japan.

The treaty, called Maguan in China, was signed between the Empire of Japan and the Qing government after China's Beiyang Fleet, dubbed the most powerful navy in Asia at the time, was annihilated by the Japanese navy during the first Sino-Japanese war, which lasted from August 1894 to April 1895.

"The PLA Navy's remarkable appearance near the Diaoyus on such a memorable date doesn't only just aim to remind today's PLA Navy never to forget their predecessor, which underwent such a historical humiliation 118 years ago, but it also helps Beijing seek legitimacy for its dream of becoming a maritime power in the international world," said Shanghai-based naval expert Professor Ni Lexiong .