Chinese ships continue patrols near disputed isles
Iran Press TV
Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:1PM GMT
Chinese ships have continued patrols in waters surrounding a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
According to a statement released by Chinese State Oceanic Administration on Friday, a fleet consisting of four China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels patrolled territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands. The archipelago is known as the Senkaku in Japan.
This comes a week after China expressed readiness to hold talks with Japan over the uninhabited islands.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that his country is ready to talk to Japan over the maritime row if Tokyo declares the islands to be disputed.
Wang also blamed Japan for the rising tensions between the two countries as Tokyo on September 11, 2012 signed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner in line with plans to nationalize the archipelago.
"In spite of this, we are still ready to sit down and have a dialogue with the Japanese to work out jointly a way to manage the current situation," Wang said.
"But first, Japan needs to recognize that there is such a dispute. The whole world knows that there is a dispute," the minister added.
In late April 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would "expel by force" any Chinese individuals landing on the islands, following an incident during which eight Chinese vessels entered the disputed waters.
Tokyo and Beijing have long been at loggerheads over the sovereignty of the islands, which would give the owner exclusive oil, mineral, and fishing rights in the surrounding waters. The islands are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture.
MAM/MAM
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