China accuses Japan of entering disputed waters “illegally”

Tensions in an already tense maritime conflict have increased when China accused a Japanese ship of breaking into disputed territory.

After a Japanese fishing vessel “illegally” entered a contentious area close to the East China Sea islands, China’s coast guard stated that it had ordered the vessel to leave its territorial waters.

They “took necessary control measures in accordance with the law, warned [the ship], and expelled it” during the incursion near the Diaoyu Islands, which Japan refers to as the Senkaku Islands, on October 15–16, a Beijing coastguard spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

In a statement, spokeswoman Liu Dejun stated, “We urge the Japanese side to immediately stop all illegal activities in these waters.”

The most recent incident in the contested waters has not yet received a response from Japan.

China’s claims to the uninhabited islands, which are thought to have possible submerged oil and gas reserves, have been continuously denied by the Japanese government.

With multiple clashes in recent months, tensions between China and Japan in the disputed waters have been high.

China called the action “infringement and provocation” when its coast guard challenged Japanese legislators in April while they were conducting an examination close to the islands.

After Chinese ships allegedly carrying cannons violated what Japan alleges are its territorial waters in June, Japan lodged a protest against Beijing.

Conflicts with Southeast Asian countries, especially the Philippines, have resulted from China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea in addition to the East China Sea. Concerns over the likelihood of conflict have been raised by these tensions.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration declared China’s South China Sea claims to be illegal under international law in a 2016 ruling.

Concerns in Japan have also grown as a result of Beijing’s increasing military operations in the surrounding waterways due to its assertiveness about Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory.