Chinese Maritime Police Force Japanese Boat Out of Disputed Islands Area – Statement

On April 5-6, a Japanese fishing boat “illegally entered China’s territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands,” Lu said on WeChat, adding that the Chinese Maritime Police ships took all necessary measures, made a warning and drove off the boat.

The spokesman stressed that the Diaoyu Islands are China’s territory and called on Japan to “immediately stop all the illegal activities in the area.”

China and Japan continue to have a territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands (also known as Senkaku Islands). After World War II, the islands were controlled by the United States and then handed over to Japan in 1972. Beijing disagrees with the decision, pointing out that the islands were marked as Chinese territory on Japanese maps from 1783 and 1785. The conflict escalated in 2012 after the Japanese authorities bought out five islands from a private Japanese owner.