Chinese Coast Guard Ships Confront Japanese Vessels in Waters near Diaoyu Islands

According to a statement from China and Japan, on Monday (June 24), there was a standoff between Chinese and Japanese coast guard ships in the disputed waters around the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. After a prolonged standoff, the Chinese coast guard ship left Japanese waters after staying for more than a day.

These islands are known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, with both countries claiming sovereignty over the waters. Coast guard ships from both countries frequently patrol the disputed waters.

The Japan Coast Guard stated that on Sunday (June 23) at 3:15 PM, two Chinese coast guard ships entered Japanese territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands and continued to stay there on Monday. This marked the fifth consecutive day that Chinese government ships had entered Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands.

Japanese authorities mentioned that the Chinese coast guard ships appeared to be tracking the movements of Japanese fishing vessels and both ships were equipped with similar gun-like devices. Eventually, after sailing in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands for over 28 hours, the two ships left Japanese waters before 8 PM on Monday (24th).

In the contiguous zone outside the territorial waters, Japanese authorities also identified two other Chinese ships carrying similar gun-like devices.

Japan reported that it was the 186th consecutive day of Chinese government ships being spotted in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands, setting a new record for the longest continuous presence since September 2012.

The Japan Coast Guard stated that they will continue to warn and monitor the Chinese coast guard ships to prevent them from entering Japanese waters again.

The Japan Coast Guard cited an earlier statement by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs this month, expressing concern over China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Japan has conveyed its position and strong concerns to Beijing through high-level channels such as the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, urging China to correct its behavior.

“Whenever Chinese coast guard ships enter Japanese territorial waters, Japanese patrol ships at the scene demand their departure, and the Japanese government promptly lodges a strong protest with China through diplomatic channels,” the statement noted. “The Japanese government is determined to firmly and permanently defend Japan’s territory, territorial waters, and airspace, and will continue to respond resolutely and calmly while maintaining its position.”

Regarding the same incident, Beijing claims that the Chinese coast guard took “necessary control measures” and “expelled” four Japanese fishing vessels and several Japanese patrol boats from the waters around the Diaoyu Islands from June 20 to 24.

Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu stated in a release, “We urge the Japanese side to immediately stop all illegal activities in the area to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again.”