Chinese and Japanese ships chasing each other in the East China Sea

On February 20 and 21, the Japanese coast guard force said that two Chinese coast guard ships had repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters and had moved to approach and close to a Japanese fishing vessel near the group. Senkaku / Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea.

According to the Japanese coast guard, immediately after this move from Chinese ships, the ships of the Japanese patrol force deployed around the fishing boats to ensure the safety of the fishing ships of this country, and at the same time warned Chinese ships leaving Japanese territory.

In addition, two other Chinese ships were found moving in the so-called contiguous area just outside the territorial sea of ​​Japan. One of these ships is said to be armed with a large gun.

In mid-February, Tokyo sent a diplomatic note protesting against Beijing after Chinese coast guard ships approached Japanese fishing boats near the disputed Senkaku / Diaoyu islands for two consecutive days.

Since the beginning of the year, this is the ninth time Chinese ships have been present in Japanese waters and the latest since Beijing passed the customs law earlier this month. Under this law, China allows its coast guard to use weapons against foreign ships operating in China-controlled and claimed waters.

On February 19, the US State Department warned that China’s passage of the law of the customs would further instability the region. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington was “concerned” with the language in China’s new maritime law. Mr. Price argues that the terminology used in the maritime law is present “This strongly implies that this law could be used to intimidate neighboring countries at sea”.

James Brown, professor of international relations from Temple University (Tokyo) forecasts “The situation escalates seriously” may come as Beijing seeks to reinforce its territorial claims. “The next step, maybe the Chinese get on board and arrest anyone on board”, Mr. James Brown said.