Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days
TOKYO - Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo's coast guard said on June 22 .
The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbours.
On June 22 , Japan said it observed four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the 'contiguous' zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond Japan's territorial waters.
In 2024 , Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain a record 355 times, including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coast guard spokesman told AFP.
Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of the Chinese coast guard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the remote, disputed islands.
Relations between Japan and China were strained by Tokyo's decision to 'nationalise' some of the islands in 2012.
On June 20 , Japan's coast guard and its US and Filipino counterparts staged joint training drills off Japan's southwest shore – the second time the countries' coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan.
Territorial disputes with China have pushed Japan to forge deeper ties with the Philippines and the United States.
Earlier this month, Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Bolivian congress brawls over China, Russia lithium deals
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LA PAZ - Bolivia's energy minister was doused with water and pelted with garbage on Thursday as chaos erupted in congress during a debate on controversial lithium contracts with Chinese and Russian firms that could bring in investments worth some $2 billion. It was the latest outburst of growing tension over Bolivia's efforts to fast-track foreign investment to exploit its lithium reserves, which are among the largest in the world. Opposition lawmakers and others loyal to former President Evo Morales disrupted the lower house session that targeted Energy Minister Alejandro Gallardo as he tried to defend the pending contracts. "They are trying to swindle us," said opposition lawmaker Daniel Rojas, one of those opposing the contracts they say are unfavorable to the state, and demanding that profits for Bolivia be secured before the lithium is sold. Thursday's session devolved into scuffles, with lawmakers pushing, shouting and throwing stacks of paper at congressional leaders. Video images showed an opposition lawmaker, Maria Salazar, tussling with another member, while a lawmaker later tore away an umbrella from a chamber leader using it to try and bat away the barrage. Legislators and civic leaders from the mineral-rich Potosi region, home to Bolivia's vast lithium deposits, joined the protest. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval World Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters will start going out on July 4 Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore Universities like NUS need to be open, to become a sanctuary for global talent: Vivian Balakrishnan Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow "We warn (President) Luis Arce, (and) the leader of the lower house, if you continue insisting on this illegal and unconstitutional process, you will be met with a mobilized population," said opposition lawmaker Lissa Claros. Protesters said they feared the deals would not benefit local communities and would cause environmental damage. "We want conditions so that the local people ... can have a dignified life," said Alberto Perez Ramos, president of the Potosi Civic Committee (COMCIPO). "The government isn't interested in that; the government is only interested in its own pockets." REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Austrian town to change two streets named after Nazi supporters
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox VIENNA - The Austrian hometown of Adolf Hitler has decided to rename two streets commemorating Nazis following years of complaints by activists, officials said on July 3. Austria is regularly criticised for not fully acknowledging its history. Annexed in 1938 by Hitler's Germany, it was only from the late 1980s that the country began to examine its own responsibility in the Holocaust. Numerous places and streets throughout Austria have been renamed, including one in the city of Linz named after Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the car company, because of his Nazi past. Hitler's hometown Braunau decided late on July 2 to rename two streets named after Hitler associate Josef Reiter and propagandist Franz Resl, municipal councillor Martina Schaefer told AFP. 'There was a secret vote regarding the Josef Reiter and Resl streets – 28 elected officials voted in favour and nine against,' said Ms Schaefer of the opposition Social Democrats. Braunau's municipal government, led by the conservatives, which also rule the country, did not respond to AFP's request for comment. The Austrian Mauthausen Committee, which has long pushed for the streets to be renamed, welcomed a 'decision with symbolic significance'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval World Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters going out Friday Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore Universities like NUS need to be open, to become a sanctuary for global talent: Vivian Balakrishnan Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Reiter's honorary citizenship in Braunau was 'revoked on March 19 at our instigation', committee board member Robert Eiter told AFP. In 2016, the Austrian government bought the house in the small town on the German border where Hitler was born in 1889 and began transforming it into a police station to avoid it becoming a neo-Nazi pilgrimage site. The Mauthausen Committee, however, advocates for 'a commemorative use of the house', Mr Eiter said. The Mauthausen Committee, named after the former concentration camp, works to maintain the memory of the crimes committed during the Holocaust. In total, 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed and 130,000 forced into exile during the Holocaust. AFP
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
China set to cancel part of EU summit in latest strain on ties
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The cancellation comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Europe for meetings in Brussels, Germany and France. BEIJING – The Chinese government intends to cancel part of a summit with European Union leaders planned for later in July, in the latest sign of the tensions between Brussels and Beijing. The second day of the two-day summit in China is set to be cancelled at Beijing's request, according to people with knowledge of the planning, who asked not to be named discussing private information. Those plans could change by the time they're finalised, one of the people said. Originally, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa had planned to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on July 24 and then travel to Hefei in central China on July 25 for a business summit. The meeting will now just be one day in Beijing. Mr Xi is trying to position himself as a more reliable partner than President Donald Trump, who is alienating US allies over issues from tariffs to defence. But relations between Brussels and Beijing have also become more strained by longstanding disagreements over the war in Ukraine and Chinese industrial policy. Adding to the tensions is an increasingly unbalanced trading relationship compounded by China's recent export controls on rare earth magnets, which have hit European industries hard. The two sides had already cancelled the flagship EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue and a digital forum, Bloomberg reported in June. That economic meeting would typically lay the groundwork for the leaders' summit, but was called off by the EU due to a lack of progress on trade. The series of ongoing disagreements has challenged the relationship. When the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, China launched anti-dumping probes into European brandy, dairy and pork, with the brandy probe due to end on July 6. Trade distortions The cancellation comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Europe for meetings in Brussels, Germany and France. In a meeting on July 2, European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Mr Wang that it was important to rebalance the economic relationship and end 'distortive practices' including the restrictions on rare earths exports, according to a readout. She also urged China to end support for Russia's military-industrial complex and back a full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. At the meeting, Mr Wang said that the two sides should regard each other as partners, not rivals, and should properly handle differences through communication, according to a Chinese statement. Beijing is worried that the EU will agree a trade deal with the US that could damage Chinese interests. Chinese officials are particularly concerned that the EU might sign up to provisions similar to those in the UK's deal with the US, which included commitments around supply chain security, export controls and ownership rules in sectors like steel. The shortened summit is unexpected. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China was inviting members to sign up for the meetings in Hefei in an e-mail on July 3 morning, Beijing time. BLOOMBERG
