Thread by @ianellisjones

🚨For 5 days in a row, 4 Chinese Coast Guard ships have repeatedly entered the 12-mile territorial limit around Japan’s Senkaku islands

CCG “drove away & expelled” Japanese patrol boats & have been spotted sailing within Japan’s EEZ for 186 days straight, the longest record ever

While it doesn’t get as much mainstream media attention, China employs many of the same gray zone tactics around the Senkakus that they do in the Taiwan Strait & South China Sea. Worth repeating what I said below — Beijing is all over Taiwan, the Philippines, & Japan.

https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1803969985552732276

Three Dongdiao-class surveillance ships have also been operating around Japan over the last week (791, 795, 799), as well as a Luyang III Mod guided-missile destroyer (156).

“The last intrusion, the 23rd of the year, occurred Sunday when two Chinese vessels passed the 12-mile limit between 3:16 p.m. and 3:17 p.m., both vessels were still sailing in Japanese waters Monday, according to a Japan coast guard news release.

Chinese vessels have been spotted sailing within Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Senkakus for 186 straight days, “the longest record ever,” according to the coast guard spokesman.” @starsandstripes

The Chinese ships were met by a larger contingent of Japanese coast guard vessels, a Japan coast guard spokesman told @starsandstripes. The Japanese ships positioned themselves between the fishing boat and the Chinese vessels and warned the Chinese by radio and electronic message boards to leave the area.

Similar to what the PLA does around Taiwan, Chinese aircraft constantly fly near sovereign Japanese territory & enter its EEZ, forcing Japan to scramble fighters in response.

“Chinese drones have been spotted flying over the East China Sea, & activity around Japan continues to be intense.”

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1 June:

China Coast Guard ships persistently continue unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters around the Senkaku Islands. This includes approaching Japanese fishing vessels inside Japanese territorial waters and intrusions by ships mounted with artillery.

The Senkaku Islands are indisputably an inherent part of the territory of Japan in light of historical facts and based upon international law, and are, in fact, effectively under the Japanese control. In the first place, there exists no issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved concerning the Senkaku Islands.

It is a violation of international law for the China Coast Guard ships to act making their own assertions in Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, and such acts will absolutely not be tolerated.

Japan has been conveying its position and expressing strong concern to China, over China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo, and strongly urging China to correct their behaviors, through high-level channels, including the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Each time China Coast Guard ships intrude into Japan's territorial waters, on-site Japanese patrol vessels demand them to leave, and at the same time, the Japanese Government promptly lodges a strong protest against the Chinese Government through diplomatic channels, strongly demanding the vessels leave immediately and that China prevent such an incident from occurring again.

The Japanese government is determined to firmly and perpetually defend Japan’s territorial land, sea and airspace and will continue to deal with the situation in a resolute and calm manner while firmly maintaining its position.

China's coast guard said on Monday it took "necessary control measures" against and "drove away" four Japanese fishing vessels and several patrol boats which entered the "territorial waters" of Diaoyu Islands between June 20-24.

"We urge Japan to immediately cease all illegal activities in the area and ensure similar incidents do not recur," a spokesperson from China's coast guard said. 🤷‍♂️

A new Chinese law which took effect June 15 authorizes its coast guard to detain for up to 60 days foreign nationals who intrude into Chinese territorial waters: @starsandstripes

Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Japan “has been monitoring with high concern the movements of China in maritime-related fields, including the details of the announcement.”

“The Government will continue to closely follow relevant developments to ensure that the enforcement of the regulations does not infringe upon the legitimate interests of the countries concerned, including Japan. We have also firmly communicated our intentions to China through diplomatic channels.”