Chinese ships make longest patrol of disputed waters
China Coast Guard spend record 28 hours in waters around the Diaoyu Islands, a move seen as response to recent hawkish rhetoric from Japan
China deployed ships to waters near islands disputed with Japan for a record 28 hours, drawing a formal protest as it repeated a strategy of pressing its territorial claims through bolder projections of maritime power.
Ships from China's newly formed coastguard remained in the Japanese-controlled waters for the longest time since Japan bought the Diaoyu, or Senkaku, islands last year, Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a briefing in Tokyo yesterday. Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned a Chinese diplomat and "sternly protested", he said.
This incursion into our territorial waters is the longest since our government bought the islands in September. It is extremely regrettable and we cannot accept it
Four China Coast Guard ships spent more than a day in Japanese-controlled waters around the islands, part of the time stationary within five kilometres of the Nan, or Minami, islet, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
The ships left the waters around the East China Sea islands at about noon yesterday.
"It is clear that the Senkaku Islands are Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law," Suga said. "This incursion into our territorial waters is the longest since our government bought the islands in September. It is extremely regrettable and we cannot accept it."
The Chinese ships forced out Japanese "right-wingers" from waters around the disputed islands, the Chinese embassy in Japan said in a statement.