China, Japan trade accusations after Chinese warship seen near disputed Diaoyu Islands
Incident comes amid news Japan’s foreign minister may visit China at end of January in bid to improve ties
China and Japan traded accusations on Thursday after a Chinese navy vessel was detected in waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea, adding fresh uncertainty as the two sides try to improve bilateral ties.
The development came amid news that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono may visit China at the end of this month for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Japan’s vice foreign minister Shinsuke Sugiyama summoned Chinese ambassador Cheng Yonghua to voice Tokyo’s concerns over Beijing’s military deployment in the disputed waters.
The Chinese vessel, identified as a Jiangkai 2-class frigate, was spotted on Thursday just beyond Japanese waters near the contested islands that are known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China, Japan’s defence ministry said.
A foreign submarine was also detected in the area on Wednesday, in the so-called contiguous zone near Miyako Island, southeast of the Senkakus, the ministry said, without identifying the nation involved.
The submarine was seen again on Thursday along with the Chinese frigate, and both had left the area by Thursday afternoon, according to the ministry.
Relations between China and Japan have long been tense because of historical issues and their territorial disputes over the tiny, uninhabited archipelago – which lies between Taiwan and the southern Japanese island of Okinawa – that is controlled by Japan but also claimed by China.