China to boost activity to assert sovereignty over East China Sea islets, Kyodo reports
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The uninhabited islands are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING/TOKYO – Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the coast guard to strengthen its activities to assert sovereignty over the East China islets, which are controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing, according to Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Dec 30.
In response to the order, which the report said was issued by President Xi in November, the coast guard has drawn up a plan to send ships on daily patrols during 2024 near the islets, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
The coast guard vessels will also be charged with conducting on-site inspections of Japanese fishing vessels if necessary, Kyodo said, citing unnamed sources.
No one was immediately available for comment at Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
Japan’s ties with China have long been plagued by the territorial dispute over the group of tiny, uninhabited islets.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Japan’s serious concerns over the matter when he held talks with Mr Xi in the United States in November, the Japanese government said at the time. REUTERS
