A flotilla of Chinese ships, including one armed with a suspected “autocannon,” was spotted patrolling the waters near the contentious Senkaku Islands, which Japan claims but China sees as the Diaoyu group. These islets in the East China Sea are at the center of a territorial dispute that has been ongoing for years. Chinese law enforcement vessels have been consistently present around the islands to assert sovereignty over them, with Chinese ships patrolling the area for 116 consecutive days as of mid-December, according to Japan coast guard data. Japan’s patrol vessels expelled Chinese ships that entered its declared territorial waters around the islands, with tensions escalating due to the latest maneuvers in the contiguous zone.
Japan identified four China coast guard ships involved in the recent activities near the Senkakus, but did not specify the ship carrying the suspected armament. China’s coast guard, which includes retired Chinese navy warships, has been a key player in the area’s territorial disputes. Some former Jiangwei I-class frigates have been transferred to China’s maritime law enforcement agency, outfitted with naval guns on their upper decks despite being stripped of missile systems. The presence of these armed vessels near the contested islands has increased tensions in the region.
Following the recent incursions by Chinese ships, U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to defending the Senkaku Islands from any armed attack during a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Biden’s involvement drew a formal complaint from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, which accused both governments of interfering in China’s internal affairs and forming anti-China cliques. The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo emphasized that the Diaoyu Islands are Chinese territory and stated that the actions and statements of Japan and the U.S. cannot change this fact, citing historical and legal bases for their claims in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
In response to Biden’s statements, China hosted a trilateral summit with the Philippines, another U.S. treaty ally embroiled in territorial disputes with China. During the summit, the leaders declared mutual support for each other’s positions in the East and South China seas, reaffirming the ironclad U.S. alliance commitments. This meeting further heightened tensions in the region, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry summoning the Japanese and Philippine ambassadors for separate demarches. The escalating rivalry and military presence in the disputed waters highlight the complex geopolitical dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region.
