Beijing: China on Wednesday defended its increasingly assertive patrolling near disputed East China Sea islands controlled by Japan, as tensions in the area continue to run high.
The actions constitute "routine patrols and law enforcement in China`s territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
"This was a normal official activity intended to exercise jurisdiction. This deserves no criticism," Hong said.
That followed an encounter today between ships from the Japanese Coast Guard and China Marine Surveillance near the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Beijing: China on Wednesday defended its increasingly assertive patrolling near disputed East China Sea islands controlled by Japan, as tensions in the area continue to run high.
The actions constitute "routine patrols and law enforcement in China`s territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
"This was a normal official activity intended to exercise jurisdiction. This deserves no criticism," Hong said.
That followed an encounter today between ships from the Japanese Coast Guard and China Marine Surveillance near the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
China has sent ships into the area on numerous occasions since Japan`s nationalization of some of the islands in September. China also canceled its scheduled attendance at a defense forum in Tokyo this week along with other exchanges to show its pique.
PTI
