BEIJING – China has issued a firm formal protest to Tokyo over Japanese interference with the lawful operations of Chinese research vessels in waters adjacent to the Diaoyu Islands, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who made the announcement Tuesday.
The diplomatic pushback came after the Japan Coast Guard claimed that a Chinese maritime survey ship had lowered a cable into the water last Friday in an area Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.
In her official remarks, Mao Ning reaffirmed China’s long-held and unambiguous position: the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times. Conducting regular research activities in adjacent waters falls fully within China’s sovereign rights, and the operations of Chinese vessels are entirely lawful and unquestionable, she added.
The diplomatic exchange marks the latest escalation in ongoing territorial tensions over the Diaoyu Islands, a strategically significant island chain in the East China Sea that has been a point of contention between the two neighboring countries for decades.