China deploys coast guard to Senkaku islands amid Japan spat
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Tokyo's remarks on Taiwan have instigated Chinese coast guard patrols and drone flights near disputed islands.
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In this Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013, file photo, a Japanese Coast Guard boat and vessel sail alongside a Japanese activists' fishing boat, not in the photo, warning the activists away from the disputed Senkaku islands by Japan and Diaoyu by China (AP)
China has sent its coast guard into the waters around the Senkaku islands and flown military drones near Japan’s outer territories, actions that come as tensions intensify following the Japanese prime minister’s recent remarks on Taiwan.
On Sunday, China’s coast guard announced that its vessels carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” in waters surrounding the Senkaku islands, which Japan controls but China claims as the Diaoyu islands.
According to the statement, the 1307 vessel group of the China Coast Guard entered what it considers the territorial waters of the Senkaku islands, calling the mission a lawful patrol aimed at defending China’s rights and interests.
While China and Japan have long clashed over the islands, the latest movements come amid heightened diplomatic friction after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo. Takaichi's statements ignited backlash in China, which demanded a retraction from the Japanese PM.
China retaliates against Takaichi's statements
Japan has come under increasing pressure from China since Takaichi’s remarks, with Beijing’s consul general in Osaka provoking a formal protest from Tokyo after declaring that “the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off."
Beijing subsequently summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in over two years, and China’s Defence Ministry warned that any attempt by Japan to intervene would be destined to fail. On Friday, China advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, prompting Tokyo to call on Beijing to take “appropriate measures”, though it offered no further details.
In a further escalation, China’s government on Sunday urged its citizens to “carefully reconsider” pursuing studies in Japan, citing what it called an increasingly unstable security environment, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Late on Saturday, a Chinese state media editorial said Takaichi was engaging in a political stunt that was “not only dangerously provocative but fundamentally perverse.”
Taiwanese Defense Ministry releases maps of Chinese activity
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported on Sunday morning that it had tracked 30 Chinese military aircraft, seven naval vessels, and one “official” ship, likely a coast guard vessel, operating around the island over the previous 24 hours.
Ministry maps showed as many as three drones flying between Taiwan and Japan’s north-eastern outlying islands, passing particularly close to Yonaguni, the nearest Japanese island; while such transits are not unheard of, they are relatively uncommon.
The Ministry said late on Saturday that China had launched another “joint combat patrol” aimed at disrupting the surrounding airspace and waters, prompting Taiwan to deploy its own aircraft and ships to observe the operation. Taipei notes these patrols several times a month as part of what it describes as China’s continuing pressure campaign.
