Chinese ships near Diaoyu Islands fuel Japan’s fears of South China Sea-style collision between China and Manila

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These islands are within China’s self-proclaimed ADIZ, and are increasingly patrolled by Chinese warships. A photo published in the Yomiuri Shimbun on January 28 shows a Jiankai II-class guided missile frigate in waters near the islands.

Analysts at the National Institute for Defense Studies say Japan has a better ability to resist Chinese aggression than the Philippines, but the Japanese government has called the possibility of the situation escalating to the point where water cannons and other weapons are used “extreme.” (NIDS)

Masafumi Iida, a China expert at the National Institute for Defense Studies, said, “Recently, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been frequently tracking Japanese fishing boats in the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands.” “This is just one of the escalating actions China is taking in an effort to seize jurisdiction.

“Japan cannot accept its claims to its waters and this is a clear violation of Japan’s territorial rights over the Senkaku Islands,” he said in Asia this week.

For more than a decade, the Chinese government has increasingly asserted its sovereignty over the islands. The coast guard has taken actions such as repeated intrusions into the waters around the island and drone flights. Iida said China’s air and maritime presence in the region is becoming larger and more frequent.

On Monday, a Japanese coast guard vessel spotted a large Chinese-made buoy drifting within Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea. The buoy, about 5 meters in diameter and labeled “China Ocean Observation”, was discovered 170 kilometers north of the disputed islands.

In July last year, a large Chinese-made buoy was discovered tied to the island about 80 kilometers northwest of the island, sparking a diplomatic protest from China. Japan’s coast guard has warned shipping companies to be wary of the additional buoys, and the government has asked China to remove them, but the Chinese government has not yet responded, Yomiuri reported.

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Stephen Nagy, a professor of international relations at International Christian University in Tokyo, said China’s actions around the islands are in part a response to Japan’s aid efforts involving other Asian countries.

“Japan is further coordinating its plans for the Taiwan Strait and providing aid to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. And China’s tactics are increasing pressure around the Senkakus to force Japan to reconsider where its priorities lie. It’s about amplifying and strengthening,” Nagy said. .

Nagy pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech on January 1 that Chinese ships would enter and leave the waters surrounding the island every day for the next year, and that Beijing has continued to push back on the Taiwan issue. He said he was trying to pressure Japan to “withdraw.”

China’s declared ADIZ issue poses a serious challenge for Tokyo, but just as the United States conducts “freedom of navigation” operations in the South China Sea, Japanese and U.S. commercial aircraft will continue to fly in the region. It will continue to fly, Nagy said.

But if airlines from other Asian countries contact Chinese air traffic controllers before entering the ADIZ, it would be a further sign that Japan lacks administrative control over its own airspace, Nagy said. says.

China’s gradual actions in the East China Sea are likely to escalate and could be similar to China’s actions against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea in recent months, Nagy said, adding that China plans to increase its coast guard fleet in 2021. It noted that the vessel had the right to use force in what it considered domestic waters.

“At that point we would be leaning heavily toward escalation,” Nagy said. “If Japan’s Self-Defense Forces were used in a counterattack against the Chinese coast guard, it would be seen as an escalation in Beijing and could easily turn into a retaliatory conflict.”