Chinese ships ‘send message’ to Japan and Taiwan ahead of talks on Diaoyu fishing rights
- Chinese coastguard ships sail close to the disputed territory shortly before three days of talks in Tokyo over fishing rights.
- Experts say this is intended as a warning to Tokyo and Taipei
The two sides will discuss fishing operations in an area north of the Yaeyama Islands, while Japan has also called for all vessels operating in the area to be equipped with an automatic ship identification system.
The two sides agreed an initial pact on joint exploitation of maritime resources in the region in 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiwanese trawlers are permitted to operate within part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone around the Japanese-controlled Diaoyu Islands, but there is no mention of the sovereignty issue. Taiwan also claims the islands as its territory and says they should be known as the Tiaoyutai islands.
Beijing also lays claim to the uninhabited islands, saying they have historically been Chinese territory.
To underline that claim, four Chinese Coast Guard vessels entered waters that Japan claims as its EEZ to the north-west of Uotsurijima, the largest island in the group, on Saturday morning. It was the seventh time this year that Chinese vessels have entered waters around the islands, and is meant as a warning to both Tokyo and Taipei, analysts say.
