The China Coast Guard announced on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, that it had deployed a specialized task force to conduct a lawful patrol within the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands. The maritime operation was led by the flagship vessel No. 2501, which spearheaded the fleet’s activities in the contested region.
According to an official statement released by the coast guard authorities, this patrol constituted a legitimate rights protection mission executed in strict compliance with Chinese law and international maritime protocols. The deployment demonstrates China’s ongoing commitment to maintaining sovereignty and monitoring activities in what it considers its traditional fishing grounds and territorial waters.
These routine patrols occur amid longstanding territorial disputes in the East China Sea, where multiple nations have overlapping maritime claims. The Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, have been a persistent point of contention between the two Asian powers, with both countries asserting historical claims to the strategically significant archipelago.
The coast guard’s announcement emphasizes China’s continued assertion of its maritime rights through measured law enforcement operations rather than military deployments, reflecting Beijing’s preferred approach to asserting its territorial claims in disputed waters.