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CCG's patrol in Diaoyu Islands following Takaichi's provocation 'shows China's determination and capability to safeguard sovereignty'

Global Times

By Guo Yuandan and Fan Anqi Published: Nov 16, 2025 09:27 PM

The China Coast Guard (CCG) formation 1307 on Sunday conducted a patrol in the territorial waters of China's Diaoyu Islands, the CCG announced in a statement on Sunday, noting that this is a rights-safeguarding patrol activity in accordance with the law.

While some media interpreted this operation as a "targeted" action "at a time when China-Japan relations are tense due to the Taiwan question," Chinese experts told the Global Times on Sunday that it demonstrated China's resolve and capability to safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao reported on Sunday that the CCG's operation took place "at a time when China-Japan relations are tense due to the Taiwan question," adding that "China and Japan have repeatedly clashed over the sovereignty dispute concerning the Diaoyu Islands." Taiwan's CNA also described the CCG's action as occurring "against the backdrop of rising tensions between China and Japan."

Public reports have shown that CCG vessels routinely conduct regular patrols in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. The spokesperson of CCG had previously stated that the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets are an inherent part of Chinese territory, and CCG vessels are lawfully carrying out maritime rights protection and law-enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction.

Since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's latest provocative remarks on Taiwan on November 7, when she claimed that a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military vessels and military force from the Chinese mainland could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a series of actions by China's military and law enforcement have drawn widespread attention.

Lianhe Zaobao reported on Saturday cited a navigation warning published on the China Maritime Safety Administration's website, which said that live-fire exercises will be conducted in parts of the central Yellow Sea from November 17 to 19, from 00:00 to 24:00, with entry prohibited. The report stated that the exercise area is close to the overlapping parts of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of China and South Korea, making it "highly strategically sensitive and potentially exerting strategic pressure on Japan, South Korea, as well as US forces stationed in South Korea and Japan."

The report also quoted a post on X by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on November 11, which said it confirmed three Chinese navy warships were sailing eastward in waters near Kagoshima Prefecture, transiting the Osumi Strait into the Pacific Ocean. It said the move marked the first passage of Chinese vessels since Takaichi's remarks, drawing significant attention.

BBC Chinese, citing a report from The Guardian, stated in a report on Friday that the Chinese military has recently increased its patrols in the East China Sea, "which appears to serve as a warning to Japan."

In response to the media reports, Lian Degui, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the Diaoyu Islands are Chinese territory, and it is normal for the CCG to patrol China's territorial waters at any time - and there is no reason for the outside world to make a fuss about it.

Lian said that "the Osumi Strait is an international waterway. It is reasonable and lawful for Chinese naval formations to transit international waters and does not infringe on Japan's national sovereignty. PLA exercises, whether in the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea, are entirely reasonable, legal, and compliant."

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, expressed a similar view, saying that CCG patrols in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands demonstrate China's firm stance on safeguarding territorial sovereignty. He also said that Chinese naval vessels conducting training in the Western Pacific have become routine, aimed at testing and improving the PLA Navy's far-seas defense and combat capabilities.

Zhang told the Global Times that the CCG patrols around the Diaoyu Islands and the Navy's far-seas training are both scheduled, routine operations that collectively demonstrate China's resolve and capability to safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Any attempt to harm China's sovereignty, security, and development interests will inevitably suffer major setbacks and pay an unbearable price in the face of China's firm strategic resolve and strong, reliable military strength, Zhang said.

Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, noted that interpreting the CCG patrols or PLA exercises in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea as "military actions" taken in response to Takaichi's erroneous remarks is an over-interpretation. "From publicly available reports, it is clear that these are routine operations, not targeted military deterrence," Zhou said.

"In general, when bilateral relations see a downward trend, the first areas to be affected are economic and people-to-people exchanges, not the use of military action to achieve political goals. China resorts to reasoning to resolve disputes rather than flaunting muscles or coercing others by force," Zhou said.

Of course, China is not without bottom lines — the Chinese people do not pick quarrels nor fear them, and we will not yield an inch in defending core interests, especially on the Taiwan question, which is the core of red lines and brooks no external interference," Zhou said.

It is worth noting that PLA Daily have consecutively published commentary articles on Saturday and Sunday, sharply criticizing Takaichi's remarks, which exposed the danger of Japanese right-wing forces' reckless provocations. The front-page commentary published on Saturday was titled "Japan will suffer unbearable price if it dares to intervene militarily in cross-Straits situation."

Tokyo Shimbun published an editorial on Tuesday, questioning whether Takaichi understands the gravity of such a statement coming from a prime minister, condemning this as "extremely reckless and imprudent" remarks.

Lian noted that the PLA Daily commentary sent a signal: As prime minister, Takaichi's remarks are not personal opinions but represent Japan's national position. When she makes unwarranted comments on Taiwan question and invokes the "survival-threatening situation," it is openly declaring its bare intent to carry out armed interference in China's internal affairs.

Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday that when it comes to the core of China's core interests, the PLA's determination to defeat any provocation—especially from Japan, which once committed heinous historical crimes—is at an all-time high.

"Under the current military balance between China and Japan, if Japanese right-wing forces continue to act recklessly, misjudging the PLA's capabilities, they will inevitably reap what they sow and court disaster. The entire Japanese homeland would lie within the reach of PLA military strikes; the whole country would be turned into a battlefield," Zhuo said, warning Japanese right-wing forces to seriously understand the warnings issued by the PLA.