In 2023, Chinese Coast Guard Ships Set a Record for the Highest Number of Days Patrolling Near the Diaoyu Islands.

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2024-01-02

At 9:00 a.m. on December 31, 2023, a patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard spotted four Chinese Coast Guard vessels sailing in the "neighboring area" around the southern islands of the Diaoyutai Islands and the Akao Islands, which is within the recognizable range, and this is the 352nd day of last year that they entered the neighboring area, and it is also the 10th consecutive day of spotting Chinese Coast Guard vessels sailing in the waters around the Diaoyutai Islands, which is the newest record for the past year.

Japan refers to the Diaoyutai Islands as the Senkaku Islands and regards the surrounding waters as "territorial waters". Japan's 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters further said that one of the four marine police vessels is suspected to be equipped with machine guns, and that Japanese patrol boats have warned the marine police vessels not to approach the territorial waters claimed by the Japanese side.

According to Japanese Yomiuri News reported Japanese statistics, since Japan's nationalization of Diaoyutai Islands in 2012, the number of Chinese naval police vessels into the Diaoyutai Islands adjacent to the number of days, compared to the previous year 2022, 336 days more than 16 days and then hit a new high.