Chinese, Japanese coastguards trade warnings near disputed East China Sea islands
- Five Japanese vessels were repelled from Diaoyu Islands on Monday, China says
- Japanese coastguard tells media it warned off Chinese vessels from the islands, which are also known as the Senkakus
Chinese coastguard vessels chased away five Japanese vessels from waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Monday, China’s state media reported.
The Chinese coastguard ships took necessary control measures, Gan said, adding they carried out “legitimate maritime rights protection and law enforcement activities” in an area that China considers its jurisdiction.
He also urged the Japanese side to “immediately stop all illegal activities” in the area and make sure that similar incidents do not happen again.
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On the same day, the Japanese coastguard said it had warned off four Chinese coastguard ships tried to approach a Japanese-registered private vessel in waters around the islands.
It was the second time this month that Chinese government ships sailed near the disputed islands, which are controlled by Tokyo, according to Japan’s Jiji Press.
Japan had said earlier this month that it planned to step up patrols around the islands in response to what it said was an increasing presence of Chinese vessels in and around its territorial waters.
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The flare-up comes as relations between the two countries remain strained over a range of other issues, including Taiwan and border control measures that have disrupted travel.
Beijing on Sunday lifted restrictions on the issuing of visas for Japanese citizens that had been imposed in response to Tokyo’s tightened border controls for travellers from China.