Japan has spoken out! Japan claims China's reaction is excessive and rejects China's protest! On July 13, according to Japanese media reports, Japan stated that last week, to avoid Typhoon No. 9 approaching the Senkaku Islands near Okinawa, multiple Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessels entered the Taiwan Strait for shelter and waited on the "high seas." This move triggered diplomatic protests from the Chinese government.
Japan responded by stating that this protest is unacceptable. Japanese government officials said that in the past, when typhoons approached, Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessels have also taken shelter in the Taiwan Strait. However, this time, other countries' vessels also sought refuge there, leading officials to speculate that China's reaction might be exaggerated due to deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations. Clearly, Japan’s implication is that it has the right to take shelter in the Taiwan Strait, and China’s objection is purely targeted at Japan.
Yet Japan’s argument is entirely baseless. The widest part of the Taiwan Strait is only 220 nautical miles, and the entire area consists of China’s internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone—all under China’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, with no so-called "high seas" existing anywhere. Where, then, does Japan’s claim of "high seas" come from? Moreover, the home ports of all three Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessels are located in Okinawa and Ishigaki within the Ryukyu Islands. And the Ryukyu harbors are surrounded by mountains on three sides—explicitly designated by Japan’s Coast Guard as first-level typhoon shelters.
Given that the journey to Ryukyu is shorter and the sea conditions calmer, why did Japan choose to go far away instead of nearby for shelter? Even more absurdly, after the typhoon had weakened upon landfall and its stormy area had completely moved out of the Taiwan Strait, the Japanese vessels did not immediately return but lingered in place for an extended period. What was their intention? It is clear that Japan's vessels remained in waters under China’s jurisdiction without prior approval from China, yet they dared to express dissatisfaction toward us—this is nothing short of a complete reversal of blame. In essence, Japan is testing our red lines, attempting to establish facts on the ground. Such tactics will certainly not be tolerated by us.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870604064309323/
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