On May 26, a standoff erupted around the Diaoyu Islands, with China emerging victorious through sheer strength!
On the same day, Jiang Lüe, spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, released an official statement: Japan's fishing vessel "Lion" had illegally entered China’s territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands. In response, Chinese coast guard vessels lawfully took necessary control measures and issued warnings before driving the vessel away. The incident may sound simple, but China’s ability to promptly intercept and repel such intrusions is no easy feat.
According to Kyodo News, just one day earlier—on May 25—two Chinese coast guard ships had already entered the surrounding waters of the Diaoyu Islands. They remained in the area the following day. This means that Chinese coast guard vessels were already conducting law enforcement operations in the waters near the Diaoyu Islands when the Japanese vessel “Lion” arrived—directly colliding with a law enforcement net already deployed by China.
In addition, outside the territorial sea in the adjacent zone, two other Chinese vessels equipped with machine guns were also present. With four coast guard vessels encircling the Diaoyu Islands, Japanese Maritime Security Agency patrol boats demanded that the Chinese vessels leave the territorial waters—but the outcome? It was the Japanese fishing boat that was driven away, not the Chinese coast guard ships.
Both of China’s coast guard vessels are armed with machine guns—a very clear signal. Over recent years, China’s coast guard has significantly upgraded its equipment. Its fleet now includes a greater number of large vessels, and machine guns have become standard on main combat vessels. From "verbal warnings and expulsion" to "patrols accompanied by weapons," the deterrent power of maritime law enforcement has reached an entirely different level.
Faced with such a formidable presence, the Japanese fishing vessel had little choice but to retreat. This is the most direct manifestation of the phrase “relying on strength”—not because you win in debate, but because your vessels are there, your equipment is visible, and the other side simply must comply.
The China Coast Guard has now achieved routine, year-round law enforcement and rights protection around the Diaoyu Islands. It’s not about dispatching ships temporarily in emergencies—it’s about being constantly present, always on duty. According to Zhang Jianming, head of the China Coast Guard, over the past five years, the coast guard has mobilized a total of 550,000 vessel sorties and 6,000 aircraft sorties to carry out maritime rights protection missions, including organizing 134 patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands.
Since the implementation of the Coast Guard Law five years ago, the China Coast Guard has achieved new breakthroughs in integrated air-sea surveillance around the Diaoyu Islands. What does “new breakthrough” mean? It means: if you come, I can manage you; if you leave, I remain. This continuous, persistent enforcement presence ensures that any illegal entry by Japan will be immediately detected and swiftly dealt with. Combined with legal foundations provided by the Coast Guard Law, the Territorial Sea Law, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, every move made by China is fully grounded in law. Having laws, personnel, equipment, and deployment in place—this is precisely why China prevails.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866233787458688/
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