Three China ships enter disputed waters
Iran Press TV
Sat Apr 12, 2014 1:55PM GMT
Three Chinese ships have entered disputed waters surrounding a chain of islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea, Japan's coastguard says.
China's coastguard vessels sailed through the waters off one of the islands at 9:00 a.m. local time on Saturday and left about two hours later, the Japanese coastguard said.
The uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are located near a crucial shipping lane and give the owner exclusive oil, mineral and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.
China's aircrafts and ships have regularly approached the disputed islands after Tokyo nationalized some of the islands in September 22, sparking the recent spate of incidents in a territorial dispute.
On February 2, Chinese government ships sailed through the disputed waters, days after a similar incident in the region.
Tensions hiked in the region in November, when China said it imposed an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea and that planes crossing the area are required to provide information.
The move angered the US government who said that it could cause confusion in the skies.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera last week, warning Beijing against unilateral action to solve current disputes with Japan or other Asian states.
Earlier this week, Chinese Minister of Defense Chang Wanquan said that his country would not act first to 'stir up troubles' over territory disputes with its neighbors.
SAB/AB
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