Three Chinese ships entered what Japan considers its territorial waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea on Monday, the Japanese government said, prompting an official protest and renewed diplomatic efforts to cool tensions. The move comes a day after China called off celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the normalisation of ties between the Asia’s largest economies and as officials from China’s ruling Communist Party, due to arrive in Tokyo on Monday, cancelled their trip.
China’s Xinhua news agency said two civilian surveillance ships were undertaking a rights defence patrol near the islands, citing the State Oceanic Administration, which controls the ships. One fishery patrol vessel was also detected inside waters claimed by Japan, the Japanese Coast Guard said.
Japan said it had lodged an official protest.
Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated sharply after Japan bought the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, earlier this month, sparking anti-Japan protests in cities across China.
In recent days, Japan has constantly provoked incidents concerning the Diaoyu islands issue, gravely violating China’s territorial sovereignty, China’s Xinhua news agency said.
The ship patrols were intended to exercise China’s administrative jurisdiction over the islands, it said.
Following the relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China, (the ships) again carried out a regular rights defence patrol in our territorial waters around the Diaoyu islands.
The Japanese Coast Guard ordered the Chinese ships to move out of the area, but received no response, an official said.
In a move that could further complicate the issue, a group of Taiwanese fishermen said they planned to sail to waters near the islands later on Monday to reassert their right to fish there.