China Coast Guard vessel No. 31239 sails in the East China Sea near the disputed isles known as Senkaku isles in Japan and Diaoyu islands in China, in this handout photo taken and released by the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast Guard December 22, 2015. REUTERS/11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast… Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Read more

BEIJING/TOKYO, Dec 2 (Reuters) – China and Japan gave conflicting versions of a maritime confrontation involving their coast guards and a Japanese fishing vessel around the disputed Senkaku Islands on Tuesday.

China’s Coast Guard said the Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Senkaku Islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands, before being expelled, in a statement which also claimed the islands are Chinese territory.

However, Japan’s Coast Guard said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A diplomatic spat between China and Japan has intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

ago United Kingdom category

ago Asia Pacific category

ago China category

ago Sustainability category

ago China category

ago Media & Telecom category

Samsung Electronics unveiled on Tuesday its first multi-folding smartphone, in a bid to strengthen its position in a sector of the phone market where competition is expected to intensify.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More