A fleet of Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrolled waters near the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and claimed by China, on Monday, a move that has already raised tensions with Tokyo.
In a brief statement on its official WeChat social media account, the Chinese Coast Guard announced that the 1302 Flotilla had carried out patrols in "Chinese territorial waters near the Diaoyu Islands" to "protect" its right to navigation "in accordance with the law."
On previous occasions, Chinese Coast Guard spokespeople have stated that the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets are China's "inherent territory" and reiterated that the Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities to protect sovereignty in the waters it considers to be under its jurisdiction.
Conflict over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, seized by Japan after the 1894-1895 war with China, has intensified in recent years, especially since Japan nationalized the lands of three of the islands in September 2012.
Located in the East China Sea, about 150 kilometers northeast of Taiwan, which also claims sovereignty, these uninhabited islands cover an area of about seven square kilometers and their adjacent waters are believed to contain important oil and gas deposits. gas.
In recent months, the always tense relations between China and Japan have been aggravated by incidents in the archipelago, such as the expulsion in December of a Japanese fishing boat by the Chinese coast guard and the entry of two ships from the Asian giant into waters administered by Tokyo. in October.
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