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China-Japan relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Chinese coastguard face off with Japanese politicians near disputed East China Sea islands

  • Chinese embassy lodges solemn representations over ‘infringement and provocation’ after confrontation near the Diaoyu Islands, called Senkaku by Japan
  • Group including former Japanese defence minister Tomomi Inada spent three hours near the islands on inspection trip, NHK reports

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A Japanese coastguard vessel sought to fend off the Chinese coastguard in Saturday’s incident, the NHK has reported. Photo: Kyodo/via Reuters
Reuters
The Chinese coastguard confronted Japanese lawmakers in waters claimed by both countries in the East China Sea, Beijing’s embassy in Tokyo and Japanese media said on Sunday.
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It is the latest in a series of maritime disputes involving China and its neighbours.

Chinese vessels took unspecified law enforcement measures, the embassy said in a statement, adding that it had lodged solemn representations for what it called “infringement and provocation” by Japan near tiny, uninhabited islands that Beijing calls the Diaoyu and Tokyo calls the Senkaku.

The Japanese group, including former defence minister Tomomi Inada, was on an inspection mission organised by the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa prefecture, according to the Chinese embassy and Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The two countries have repeatedly faced off around the Japan-controlled islands. China also has had several run-ins with Philippine vessels in disputed areas of the South China Sea, where Beijing’s expansive maritime claims conflict with those of a number of Southeast Asian nations.

Inada’s group spent three hours near the islands on Saturday, using drones to observe the area, and the Japanese coastguard vessel sought to fend off the Chinese coastguard, NHK said.

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