Kyodo News, citing several sources familiar with the matter, said the radio warning was based on Beijing's claim that SDF aircraft might violate Chinese territorial airspace around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and had been issued multiple times since January.
Tokyo has rejected the statement and told Beijing through diplomatic channels that such warnings are "completely unacceptable," the sources said.
Tokyo did not announce Beijing's new move in an apparent effort to avoid further damaging bilateral relations, according to Kyodo News. There is no information yet on China's reaction.
Sources also said that among the Chinese coast guard ships that issued warnings to SDF aircraft when they entered the contiguous zone outside what Japan considers its territorial waters was one equipped with a 76 mm gun with a range of about 12 km.
Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
Kyodo News Screenshot
Previously, Chinese military vessels had asked Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force aircraft to leave airspace near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. A Japanese government official confirmed that this was the first time that coast guard vessels that regularly sail around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands had issued warnings to SDF aircraft in "Japanese sovereign airspace."
Issuing warnings may be a new addition to the duties of the China Coast Guard, which regularly sends ships to waters near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and pursues Japanese fishing boats in the area, according to Kyodo News.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for strengthening Beijing's sovereignty claim over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands during a rare visit to the China Coast Guard's East China Sea regional command office in Shanghai on November 29, 2023, according to Kyodo News.
During his visit on November 29, Mr. Tap emphasized that Beijing needs to "continuously strengthen" efforts to protect sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, according to Kyodo News citing informed sources.
The China Coast Guard is said to have drafted a plan to maintain a daily presence of coast guard vessels near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in 2024 and conduct inspections of Japanese fishing vessels in the area, if necessary.
Source link
Comment (0)