17-10-2023 (HONG KONG) Tensions escalated in the East China Sea as Chinese and Japanese coast guard ships faced off near disputed islands, according to statements released by both countries on Tuesday.
China claimed that it had repelled several Japanese vessels that had “illegally” entered its territorial waters on Monday around the islands, which it refers to as Diaoyu. China urged Japan to cease all “illegal activities” in the area. Japan, on the other hand, controls the islands and refers to them as the Senkaku.
The Japanese coast guard reported that it had ordered two Chinese coast guard vessels to leave the waters around the islands. Japanese ships were maneuvered to prevent the Chinese vessels from approaching Japanese fishing boats.
These uninhabited islands have been a longstanding contentious issue in the bilateral relations between China and Japan.
In a related development, China’s foreign ministry accused a Canadian military plane of seriously violating Chinese sovereignty and national security in the same area on Monday.
“On October 14, the Canadian jet ‘illegally’ entered airspace near Diaoyu Island,” stated a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday.
The interception of the Canadian military plane by Chinese fighter jets over international waters on Monday was strongly condemned by Canada’s Defence Minister Bill Blair, who deemed it unacceptable, dangerous, and reckless.
A Canadian general criticized the Chinese air force for the incident, which involved a fighter jet cutting off the patrol plane and releasing flares in its path.
Canada asserted that the 13-member crew of the plane was part of a United Nations mission aimed at enforcing sanctions against North Korea, with the objective of encouraging the country to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
The missions, which involve Japan, France, and the United States, are focused on detecting “evasion activities, particularly ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other commodities,” as stated by Ottawa.
The episode on Monday was reported by the Canadian TV network Global News, which had journalists on board the aircraft. The report further claimed that Chinese fighters came within 5 meters of the plane during the incident.
