Consecutive Intimidation around Senkakus

Government of Japan announced on Saturday that seven Chinese official vessels entered contiguous zone of Senkaku Islands, Okinawa. It confirmed 230 fishing boats were sticking around, marking unusual rise of intimidation. Chinese ships then invaded Japanese territorial sea around Senkakus on Sunday. Japanese government protested Chinese Ambassador in Tokyo about the unilateral violation of sovereignty. China does not stop its saber rattling in East China Sea.

Four out of seven official vessels of China installed cannon, intimidating Japan with military arms. Although it was not illegal for Chinese fishing boats to enter economic exclusive zone around Senkakus, the number of boats apparently indicated unusual activity of China over the islands. Military personnel were confirmed boarding on some of the fishing boats.

The incident on Sunday was more serious. China breached sovereignty of Japan by sending two official vessels into territorial sea around Senkakus on Sunday morning. Receiving warning from Japanese Coast Guard, they exited the area forty-five minutes later. Then, five official vessels repeatedly entered Japanese territory in the afternoon. Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shinsuke Sugiyama, called Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Cheng Yonghua, twice to claim Chinese behavior to be unacceptable.

China has been frustrated with current international situation over the territorial disputes in South China Sea. After the defeat in Hague Court of Arbitration on violation of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Chinese government had to persuade its people that China would not be wrong in the dispute over South China Sea. Xi Jinping administration is enhancing the posture for expanding its maritime interests.

No restrictive attitude can see in Chinese unilateral advance to the sea. Japanese government found that China installed radar equipment and observation camera on a heliport that China had unilaterally built around the intermediate line between China and Japan in East China Sea. Japanese government has been requiring China not to continue its unilateral development and resumption of discussion over joint development of gas fields around.

A Chinese official commented that China was taking measures to appropriately control the situation in related sea area. For China, appropriate measures mean ignoring sovereignty of neighbor nations, based on its unique reasoning of settling internal frustration over inconvenient facts in international community. They believe that the world is revolving around China.