Chinese ships near Senkaku heighten pre‑summit tensions
Two Chinese coast guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, escalating tensions ahead of a meeting involving diplomats from Japan, South Korea, and China.
Two Chinese coast guard ships violated Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Friday. This information was provided by the Japan Coast Guard. The incident took place a day before a scheduled meeting of the foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea, and China in Tokyo.
According to the 11th Regional Headquarters of the Japan Coast Guard in Naha, the Chinese vessels entered the territorial waters near Minami-Kojima Island, part of the Senkaku archipelago, just before 2 AM local time on Friday. Both vessels were equipped with guns, as highlighted by the Japanese broadcaster NHK.
The Japan Coast Guard urged the Chinese vessels to leave the area immediately and continues to monitor them. As noted by the Japan News, a similar incident occurred on March 14.
Diplomats' meeting in Tokyo
On Saturday, the foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea will meet in Tokyo. Takeshi Iwaya, Wang Yi, and Cho Tae-yong are expected to discuss trilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and regional and international issues. The last meeting of this nature occurred in November 2023 in Busan.
Beijing and Tokyo have long disputed the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, located in the East China Sea. Taiwan also claims rights to these islands. The islands remain under Japan's control, which considers them an integral part of its territory. Japan regularly reports the presence of Chinese vessels in the region. In 2024, Chinese vessels were present for a record 353 days, with 39 instances of intrusion into Japanese territorial waters reported.
