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China flexes its
naval muscles in East China Sea
TENSION HIGH: The long-running territorial
dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyutais has led to China deploying a
fleet of 11 vessels off its east coast
AFP, BEIJING
Chinese vessels roam the waters
of the East China Sea during a joint naval exercise of the Chinese navy, the
country¡¦s fishery administration and marine surveillance agency yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
China dispatched naval vessels, aircraft
and helicopters to the East China Sea yesterday, flexing its muscles in
exercises likely to further stoke a bristling territorial dispute with Japan.
A fleet of 11 vessels, including some warships, along with eight aircraft, were
sent to waters off its east coast, China said, in Beijing¡¦s most confrontational
act yet in a row that has chilled ties between the regional heavyweights.
The one-day exercises were announced late on Thursday in a dispatch by the
official Xinhua news agency that China¡¦s Defense Ministry also posted on its Web
site.
State-run China Central Television showed images of several warships and
helicopters carrying out maneuvers.
It was unclear where in the East China Sea the exercises were taking place.
The sea is home to tiny islets known as the Diaoyutai Islands (³¨³½¥x) in Taiwan,
and the Senkaku Islands in Japan, which are administered by Tokyo, but claimed
by Taipei and Beijing.
Tensions in the long-running territorial dispute have soared since the Japanese
government¡¦s move last month to formally nationalize the islands by buying three
of the islets from their Japanese owners, which triggered anti-Japan protests
across China and hit the sales of Japanese-manufactured products.
China has since then taken a number of steps seen as snubbing Tokyo, including
refusing to send top officials to a global economic conference in Japan this
month.
A Foreign Ministry official in Beijing blamed Tokyo for ratcheting up tension in
the region when asked about the exercises at a regular press briefing yesterday.
¡§The heating up of the dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands between China and
Japan is entirely caused by Japan¡¦s illegal act of purchasing the islands,¡¨
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei (¬x½U) said.
¡§The Chinese government¡¦s resolve and determination to safeguard national
territorial sovereignty is unswerving,¡¨ he added.
China¡¦s exercise yesterday included vessels from the marine surveillance agency
and fishery administration, according to the Chinese reports, which did not give
a detailed breakdown on the vessels.
¡§The primary aim [of the exercises] is to strengthen the capacity to safeguard
territorial sovereignty and maritime interests,¡¨ said Shen Hao (¨H¯E), a rear
admiral in China¡¦s navy, according to the Web site of state-run China Radio
International.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told reporters that Tokyo had
few details on the drills.
¡§We decline to comment on the drill, but we will continue monitoring various
Chinese moves,¡¨ he said.
Microblog users in China broadly welcomed the naval exercises.
¡§I suggest going to the Diaoyutai Islands for some heavily armed exercises ¡X it
is our own territory,¡¨ said one netizen on Weibo, China¡¦s version of Twitter.
¡§How exciting,¡¨ another said. ¡§This is the emergence of Chinese military power.¡¨
Reports this week said Japan and the US were considering holding a joint
military drill to simulate retaking a remote island from foreign forces.
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