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Beijing detects suspected Japanese spy planes near Taiwan
Two crewed electronic reconnaissance aircraft sent to ‘snoop around’ and observe mainland Chinese vessels, leading PLA analyst says
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Albee Zhangin Shanghai
Mainland Chinese maritime authorities detected what appear to be Japanese surveillance aircraft southeast of Taiwan on Monday as Beijing stepped up patrols around the waters.
Two fixed-wing aircraft appeared to belong to the Japan Coast Guard and were spotted during a mainland Chinese maritime task force patrol southeast of Taiwan, according to a video published on Tuesday by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with mainland state broadcaster CCTV.
The first featured a distinct tilted tail assembly and was detected at 6.15am local time. A second aircraft had the signature blue-and-white livery and markings of the Japan Coast Guard and was spotted at 2.11pm, the video showed.
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Beijing strengthened patrols east of Taiwan earlier this month in response to maritime border talks between Japan and the Philippines in May.
The negotiations are to delimit their overlapping maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the western Pacific Ocean, east of Taiwan.
Beijing and Tokyo also have unresolved overlapping EEZ claims in the East China Sea.
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