Japanese and Chinese coast guard vessels clashed near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, escalating tensions after Tokyo’s recent comments on Taiwan.
TOKYO: Japanese and Chinese coast guard vessels engaged in a fresh standoff around disputed islands on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the East China Sea near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu Islands.
Japan’s coast guard said two Chinese patrol ships entered its territorial waters in the early hours.
The vessels left a few hours later after a Japanese coast guard ship demanded their departure.
“The activities of Chinese coast guard vessels… fundamentally violate international law,” Japan’s coast guard statement said.
It added that the two Chinese vessels, and others, were still in the surrounding area.
China’s coast guard offered a conflicting account of the incident.
Spokesman Liu Dejun said a Japanese fishing vessel had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters”.
“China Coast Guard vessels took necessary control measures and made warnings to drive it away,” Liu stated on an official social media account.
He added that China would continue its law enforcement activities to safeguard national sovereignty.
The standoff follows a similar incident reported on November 16.
Tensions have been high since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force.
In response to the diplomatic strain, Beijing has urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan.
Several cultural events have also been affected, including a cancelled performance by a Japanese singer in Shanghai.
China has reportedly renewed a ban on Japanese seafood imports.
It has so far stopped short of imposing more serious economic measures against Japan.
