On Monday, Japan protested with Beijing after observing Chinese and Russian vessels slightly outside its territorial seas near the disputed East China Sea islands.
For several minutes Monday morning, a Chinese frigate cruised into the contiguous zone, just outside Japanese territorial seas near the Senkaku Islands, which Beijing also claims and calls the Diaoyu.
Chinese Warship Chases Russian Frigate Near Japan
The existence of the Chinese vessel was established roughly 40 minutes after a Russian frigate had entered the seas for more than an hour, according to the ministry. The current Chinese-Russian military activity in the area was not immediately apparent. The ships might have been there to dodge a storm, according to Japanese defense authorities.
Japan registered a protest against Beijing, expressing grave concern about the event, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara. China supported the frigate's entry and slammed Tokyo's objection, in accordance with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijian.
China's increasingly assertive military operations in the East and South China Seas is viewed by Japan as a danger to regional stability. Toyo is particularly sensitive to Chinese activity in the vicinity of the disputed islands, according to Independent.
It is worth mentioning that this was not the first time Chinese and Russian Navy warships were sighted together. A similar incident occurred in June 2016.
According to international law, any ship or warship may travel through a coastal nation's contiguous waters unless it endangers the nation's safety. Notably, the latest crossing occurred amid increased Russian and Chinese military presence in the waters near Tokyo. Amid the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Japan said that it will evaluate its defense strategy by the end of the year, according to the Japanese news agency.
Japan's national defense guidelines were launched earlier this month in response to heightened regional security challenges posed by China and Russia. According to a media report citing defense department officials, Japan is updating its National Defense Program Guidelines-a policy for the next ten years. It stated that it will work with the US to cope with the dangers presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
The new strategy, which is also regarded as a politically difficult matter in Japan, will decide whether Japan may acquire capabilities to target enemy bases in counterstrike. Japan now has an entirely defensive-oriented policy under the war-renouncing constitution, as per to Republic World.
Did China, Russia Violate the Law on Senkaku Islands?
According to Tian Shichen, founder of the Global Governance Institution and director of the International Center for the Law of Military Operations, a contiguous zone overlaps with an exclusive economic zone, this means that foreign warships can freely travel in any country's contiguous zones as long as they adhere to the domestic regulations established by the coastal country in compliance with international law.
Chinese and Russian vessels can freely travel in the Diaoyu Islands' contiguous zone, but on a distinct legal basis, Tian added. Tian noted that the Chinese vessel traveled in the Chinese contiguous zone, over which China has sovereign powers and control, but the Russian vessel navigated in the region freely due to the right of free navigation in any contiguous zone under international law.
Chinese warships patrol and monitor the Diaoyu Islands to protect national sovereignty, according to Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, who spoke to the Global Times on Monday.
Several Russian warships circumnavigated Japan in June, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff. Zhou stated that Russia, which is conducting military operations against Ukraine, has island disputes with Japan, and that Russian naval activity in the West Pacific is intended to discourage Japan from making rash steps.
Russia's recent activities serve as a message to Japan amid Japanese sanctions on Russia, and try to relieve Western pressure on Russia as a result of the Ukraine issue, Global Times reported.
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