Taiwan, HK activists head for disputed islands in East China Sea
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Hong Kong activists carry anti-Japan banners during a march to the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong on Jan 8, 2013. A boat with seven Hong Kong and Taiwanese activists on board was today heading for islands at the centre of a bitter international wrangle.
TOKYO (AFP) - A boat with seven Hong Kong and Taiwanese activists on board was today heading for islands at the centre of a bitter international wrangle, a report and Japan’s coastguard said.
By around 7am the vessel was 107km away and “sailing towards the Senkakus", Japan’s coastguard said, when asked about a report from Jiji of a vessel that left Taiwan earlier.
China and Taiwan both claim the island chain, which is known as Diaoyu in Chinese and controlled by Tokyo.
The uninhabited islands, whose seabed is believed to harbour valuable mineral reserves, has been the scene of a diplomatic tussle between Japan and China over the past few months.
