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Quoted By: >>1462016
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk7xjpv8gmo
China and Japan's coast guards have given different accounts of a confrontation that occurred near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea.
China's Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Diaoyu Islands - which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands. China claims them as their territory, despite the islands being administered by Japan.
Japan's Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel.
The confrontation comes as diplomatic ties between the two nations spiral, after Japan's leader made controversial comments about Taiwan last month.
While responding to a question in parliament in November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known to be a vocal critic of China and its activities in the region, suggested that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.
Beijing views self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunite" with it.
Both sides have since engaged in increasingly hostile rhetoric towards each other, with the widening rift affecting daily life for citizens in both countries.
Taiwan is located about 160km south-west of the Senkaku Islands.
China and Japan's coast guards have given different accounts of a confrontation that occurred near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea.
China's Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Diaoyu Islands - which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands. China claims them as their territory, despite the islands being administered by Japan.
Japan's Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel.
The confrontation comes as diplomatic ties between the two nations spiral, after Japan's leader made controversial comments about Taiwan last month.
While responding to a question in parliament in November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known to be a vocal critic of China and its activities in the region, suggested that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.
Beijing views self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunite" with it.
Both sides have since engaged in increasingly hostile rhetoric towards each other, with the widening rift affecting daily life for citizens in both countries.
Taiwan is located about 160km south-west of the Senkaku Islands.
