China deployed its coastguard to several disputed islands on Sunday, November 16th amid an escalating diplomatic feud with Japan.
The moves follow Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commenting on Taiwan not being part of China, which in turn warned Tokyo through state media that it has prepared “substantial countermeasures” in response.
The “rights safeguarding” sea patrol saw the China Coast Guard sail close to the islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. The archipelago is one of several whose international ownership is hotly disputed.
Senior MPs in Japan speculate that the perceived provocation could lead to economic friction between the two states. Last week China’s foreign ministry warned its citizens not to visit Japan. It noted a deteriorating security environment—accompanied by “a rise in cases targeting Chinese nationals.”
For evidence of the seemingly intractable nature of such regional maritime disputes, see the contested site of the warship Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal—itself known by Manila as Ayungin Shoal and by Beijing as Ren’ai Jiao—which is located inside the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
