China insists survey ship’s passage close to Japanese island was ‘completely legal’

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China insists survey ship’s passage close to ********* island was ‘completely legal’

China has confirmed that one of its naval surveying vessels sailed close to ********* territory over the weekend, but insisted it was a “legal passage” through international waters.

Tokyo has expressed “strong concern” and lodged a protest with the ******** embassy over the incident, which happened days after a ******** reconnaissance aircraft entered ********* airspace.

The ********* defence ministry said the ship spent around two hours in the country’s territorial waters off the southwest of Kuchinoerabu, a small island in the Tokara Strait to the southwest of the country’s four biggest islands.

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Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the ******** foreign ministry, said on Monday there was “no need to deliberately link or over-interpret” the two incidents.

She said the ship “was exercising its rights of transit” and the passage was “completely legitimate and legal”.

“According to the ******* Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Tokara Strait is used for international navigation,” she said.

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The ******** naval survey vessel pictured near the ********* island in an photo issued by the ********* defence ministry’s ****** staff office. Photo: AFP alt=The ******** naval survey vessel pictured near the ********* island in an photo issued by the ********* defence ministry’s ****** staff office. Photo: AFP>

Japan’s foreign ministry said Namazu Hiroyuki, the director general of the ****** and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, had lodged a protest with the ******** embassy in Tokyo and received an explanation.

The protest also took into account “the recent intrusion into Japan’s territorial airspace by a ******** military plane”, according to the ministry.

Last Tuesday a ******** Y-9 reconnaissance plane entered Japan’s airspace above the southeastern Danjo-gunto islands for about two minutes.

Japan said the incursion was “utterly unacceptable” and foreign vice-minister, Okano Masataka summoned Shi Yong, the interim charge d’affaires to issue a “very severe protest”

Beijing said it has “no intention of breaching any country’s airspace” adding that it had “maintained communication through existing working channels”.

Saturday’s incident was the 10th time ******** survey ships have entered waters administered by the Kagoshima prefecture since November 2021, according to Kyodo News.

Story continues

Japan has repeatedly raised concern about ******** military activities in the East China Sea and has confronted ******** coastguards in waters around the disputed Diaoyu, or Senkaku islands. In recent years, the country has also been increasing defence spending and strengthening security ties with the US and its allies.

On Friday the defence ministry requested a record budget of 8.5 trillion yen (US$59 billion) for next year, citing threats from China, especially to its southwest island chain which includes Okinawa.

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