China and Japan give conflicting accounts of East China Sea confrontation

China and Japan’s coast guards have offered different versions of a clash near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

China’s Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had entered waters near the Senkaku Islands illegally. Beijing refers to the islands as the Diaoyu Islands and claims them as Chinese territory, although they are administered by Japan.

Japan’s Coast Guard, however, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel.

The incident comes amid rising diplomatic tensions between the two nations, following controversial remarks by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan last month.

In parliament, Takaichi, known for her critical stance on China, suggested that Japan could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan. China considers self-governing Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out force to “reunite” with the island.

Since then, both sides have engaged in increasingly hostile rhetoric, affecting daily life for citizens in both countries. Taiwan lies roughly 160 km southwest of the Senkaku Islands.

China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said Chinese vessels approached and warned off the Japanese fishing boat for “illegally entering the territorial waters of China’s Diaoyu Dao.” He added that law enforcement measures were taken, urging Japan to “immediately stop all acts of infringement and provocation in these waters.”

Japan’s Coast Guard offered a different version, saying Chinese ships entered Japanese waters in the early hours of Tuesday. The JCG demanded that they leave and ensured the safety of the fishing vessel until the Chinese ships departed a few hours later.

While Japan and China agreed in principle in 2008 to jointly exploit resources in the East China Sea, tensions have grown over the past 15 years. The uninhabited Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands have become a flashpoint, with China sending increasing numbers of vessels to test Japan’s resolve. Last year marked a record high for Chinese government vessel activity in the area for the third consecutive year.

Before Tuesday’s events, the China Coast Guard last patrolled the waters near the islands on 16 November, describing it as a “lawful patrol operation… to uphold its rights and interests.”