《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Japan protests China warships off disputed isles

RISING TENSIONS: Three Russian ships were also spotted in the area, raising concern in Japan over a coordinated show of force by Beijing and Moscow

/ Reuters, TOKYO

Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador early yesterday to express concern after a Chinese navy ship sailed close to what Japan considers its territorial waters in the East China Sea for the first time, increasing tensions over the disputed area.

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Japan said a Chinese frigate sailed within 38km of the contested territory, the islands known as Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai （釣魚台） in Taiwan and China, shortly after midnight.

Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Akitaka Saiki summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo at about 2am to “express a serious concern,” the government said in a statement.

Japanese and Chinese coastguard vessels frequently face off around the islands as both sides press their claims. Until now neither has dispatched warships to nearby waters, because doing so would inflame tensions and remove a buffer against potential armed conflict.

“We are worried that this action raises tensions to a higher level,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press briefing in Tokyo.

“Related ministries are working together to deal with this and we will work closely with the US,” Suga said.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense said it was looking into the reports that one of its navy ships sailed close to the disputed islands, but added that its navy had every right to operate in Chinese waters.

“Chinese naval ships sailing through waters our country has jurisdiction over is reasonable and legal. No other country has the right to make thoughtless remarks about this,” it said in a statement.

While the US has not endorsed Tokyo’s territorial claim to the islands, which lie about 220km northeast of Taiwan, it has said the Japanese-controlled territory falls under its security treaty with Tokyo that obligates Washington to defend Japan against attack.

“We are aware of the reports and have been in touch with the Japanese government,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Colin Willett told reporters by telephone from Washington.

“Until I have a little more detail, I can’t really comment on exactly what [Washington’s] reaction is,” she added.

The Chinese frigate stayed in the waters around the islands for about an hour before sailing toward the Chinese coast.

Countries can police their contiguous zone, adjacent to the disputed territory, for customs and immigration violations, but cannot prevent passage by other nations’ vessels.

Complicating the situation for Tokyo, three Russian naval vessels also sailed close to the islands at about the same time as the Chinese warship, raising concern in Japan of a coordinated show of force by Beijing and Moscow.

Russia and Japan are locked in a separate territorial dispute over the return of islands seized by Moscow at the end of World War II.

Suga said the government was investigating to uncover any link between the movements of Chinese and Russian vessels.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES