Two Chinese patrol ships have arrived near a disputed set of islands in the East China Sea that Japan has announced plans to bring under public ownership, Chinese state media said Tuesday, further ratcheting up tensions between the two Asian nations.
Xinhua said the two marine surveillance ships had reached the waters around the Diaoyu islands – known in Japan as the Senkaku islands – to “assert the country’s sovereignty”. Japan confirmed on Tuesday it had signed a contract to buy three of the islands from their private owner.
The marine surveillance agency has “drafted an action plan for safeguarding the sovereignty” of the islands and will “take actions pending the development of the situation,” Xinhua reported, citing unidentified sources at the agency. Japan controls the uninhabited but resource-rich islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
Some had been in the hands of a private Japanese owner but the government says it has now signed a purchase contract. Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, said the islands were “an inherent part of China’s territory” and vowed his country would “never ever yield an inch” on its sovereignty.
But the move followed a bid by the outspoken and right-wing Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara to buy them using public donations – an action analysts believe would have further raised tensions with China. Ties between the Asian powers have been tense since August, when pro-China activists landed on one of the islands.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry published a lengthy statement Monday detailing Beijing’s arguments behind its claim of sovereignty over the islands, which are situated between Taiwan and Okinawa. Wen Jiabao also reiterated China’s stand on Monday.
“The Diaoyu islands are an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Chinese government and its people will absolutely make no concession on issues concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
Xinhua said the two marine surveillance ships had reached the waters around the Diaoyu islands – known in Japan as the Senkaku islands – to “assert the country’s sovereignty”. Japan confirmed on Tuesday it had signed a contract to buy three of the islands from their private owner.
The marine surveillance agency has “drafted an action plan for safeguarding the sovereignty” of the islands and will “take actions pending the development of the situation,” Xinhua reported, citing unidentified sources at the agency. Japan controls the uninhabited but resource-rich islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
Some had been in the hands of a private Japanese owner but the government says it has now signed a purchase contract. Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, said the islands were “an inherent part of China’s territory” and vowed his country would “never ever yield an inch” on its sovereignty.
But the move followed a bid by the outspoken and right-wing Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara to buy them using public donations – an action analysts believe would have further raised tensions with China. Ties between the Asian powers have been tense since August, when pro-China activists landed on one of the islands.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry published a lengthy statement Monday detailing Beijing’s arguments behind its claim of sovereignty over the islands, which are situated between Taiwan and Okinawa. Wen Jiabao also reiterated China’s stand on Monday.
“The Diaoyu islands are an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Chinese government and its people will absolutely make no concession on issues concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
