Japan protested on Monday that a Chinese ship sailed near islands in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
According to the Japanese government’s deputy secretary general, Seiji Kihara, Tokyo has expressed “great concern” about Beijing and demanded that such incidents not happen again.
The islands are “Japanese territory, both historically and under international law,” he said.
Attacks by Chinese coastguard vessels are frequent, close to the uninhabited Senkaku islands, called Diaoyu by Beijing.
But it’s the first time since 2018 that a Chinese military ship has come this close and entered the “contiguous zone,” a 12 nautical-mile (about 22 km) wide strip that stretches just beyond its territorial waters.
A Russian military ship was also spotted in the same area on Monday, according to several Japanese media, citing Japanese Defense Ministry sources. The information was not immediately confirmed by the ministry to AFP.
In late May, Chinese and Russian bombers flew together near Japan, seen as a provocation by Tokyo. The country hosted the “Quadruple” summit, an informal alliance between the United States, Japan, India and Australia focused on countering China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
source: Noticias
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