Tensions Spike as China and Japan Confront Each Other Near Disputed Islands

China and Japan are giving two completely different stories about a clash near the disputed islands in the East China Sea.

China’s Coast Guard claims a Japanese fishing boat “illegally entered” the waters around the Diaoyu Islands the same territory Japan calls the Senkaku Islands and currently controls. Beijing insists the area belongs to them.

Japan’s Coast Guard, on the other hand, says it had to step in after two Chinese Coast Guard ships moved toward the Japanese fishing vessel. According to Tokyo, they intercepted the Chinese ships and forced them out.

This latest encounter comes at a time when both countries are already on edge, especially after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi a known critic of China recently suggested that Japan might use military force if China attacked Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and hasn’t ruled out force to “reunify” with it.

Since then, both sides have been exchanging harsher words, and the tension is starting to spill into everyday life for people in both countries. For context, Taiwan sits about 160 km southwest of the Senkaku Islands.

A spokesperson for China’s Coast Guard, Liu Dejun, said their ships warned off the Japanese boat because it had entered what they call “China’s territorial waters.” He said they took “necessary law enforcement measures” and demanded Japan stop what they see as provocation.

Japan’s version is different: the JCG says Chinese ships actually entered Japanese waters first, early Tuesday morning. They say they ordered the Chinese ships to leave, guarded the Japanese fishing boat, and watched the CCG exit the area a few hours later.

Even though China and Japan agreed back in 2008 to explore East China Sea resources together, relations have only gotten worse in the last 15 years. The uninhabited islands Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China are right at the center of it.

China has been sending more and more vessels near the islands, seemingly to test Japan’s willingness to defend them. Last year, Chinese ship activity in the area hit a record high for the third straight year.

Before Tuesday’s encounter, the last time Chinese vessels entered the waters was on November 16, when China described it as a “lawful patrol” to defend its rights.