Beijing visit by Japanese envoy gives chance to repair ties
Japanese diplomat arrives in Beijing for talks likely to touch on Diaoyu Islands as Taiwan rules out cross-strait co-operation in dispute
A senior Japanese diplomat arrived in Beijing yesterday for talks aimed at mending strained ties, a day after a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel patrolled within one kilometre of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Tensions over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, remain high, with vessels from the mainland, Taiwan and Japan all sailing in waters around them. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that Taipei would not co-operate with Beijing on the issue.
Japan's coastguard said three Chinese maritime surveillance vessels were in Japan's territorial sea off the disputed islands on Monday. The Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday that one of the vessels sailed within one kilometre of the disputed islands - the closest a Chinese government vessel has come.
Professor Lian Degui, from the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said Chinese patrols had been stepped up because the authorities in Okinawa had attempted to include the disputed islands on Unesco's World Natural Heritage list.
"But the patrols are becoming regular now and are unlikely to trigger further tensions," he said.
The patrols are becoming regular now and are unlikely to trigger further tensions
China and Japan have shared in angry exchanges in recent months, especially after Tokyo alleged that Chinese frigates used fire-control radar to target a Japanese destroyer and a military helicopter on two occasions last month. Beijing denied the allegations.