TENSE INCIDENTS
Japanese and Chinese vessels have been involved in tense incidents in disputed areas, in particular the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, known by Beijing as the Diaoyus.
The remote chain of islands has fuelled diplomatic tensions and been the scene of confrontations between Japanese coastguard vessels and Chinese fishing boats.
Tokyo has reported the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels, a naval ship and even a nuclear-powered submarine in the area.
Two non-military aircraft from China – a propeller plane and a small drone – forayed into the Japanese airspace near the Senkaku islands in 2012 and 2017, according to NHK.
“CONTROL MEASURES”
The Danjo Islands are a group of small islets located in the East China Sea, off Japan’s southern Nagasaki region.
Beijing claims the South China Sea – through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually – almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
China said it took “control measures” on Monday against two Philippine Coast Guard ships that had entered waters near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.
Multiple confrontations have taken place in recent days around the shoal, located 140km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200km from Hainan island, China’s nearest major landmass.
Both sides have in recent months stationed coast guard vessels near Sabina, where the Philippines fears China is about to build an artificial island.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is due to visit Beijing for three days from Tuesday and will meet China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in a bid to manage bilateral tensions ahead of US elections in November.
