East China Sea represent Beijing’s intensifying efforts to assert its sovereignty over the disputed
Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, analysts said on Monday.
The latest incidents happened on Saturday and Sunday, when Japan’s coastguard said two Chinese coastguard vessels had repeatedly entered Japan’s territorial waters and had made moves to approach a Japanese fishing boat carrying three passengers near the islands, which are under the administrative control of
Japan.
A Japanese patrol vessel deployed around the fishing boat to ensure its safety warned the Chinese ships to leave Japanese territory, Japan’s coastguard said. Two other Chinese vessels were also spotted cruising in the so-called contiguous zone just outside Japan’s territorial waters. One of them appeared to be armed with an autocannon, the coastguard said.
