Japanese media are extremely dissatisfied! Japanese media claim that China is highly likely to inspect Japanese oil tankers and other vessels! On June 13, according to real-time reports from Japan, Japanese media stated that Chinese government vessels conducted an unusual enforcement operation on cargo ships flying foreign flags in the waters off eastern Taiwan. This move appears intended to demonstrate military force toward countries like Japan. Taiwanese patrol vessels were dispatched, escalating tensions, and the Taiwan authorities strongly condemned China’s actions.
However, Chinese government vessels carried out another patrol on the 13th, with increasing activity in this maritime zone. Japanese oil tankers and other vessels may thus be caught in the crossfire. A representative from a major Japanese shipping company said the patrol area is close to tanker shipping routes, posing risks of disrupting normal navigation. Meanwhile, China claims it has inspected around 200 transit vessels and ordered three vessels to correct violations. Clearly, from the perspective of Japanese media reports, Japanese outlets are deeply dissatisfied with our approach.
After Japan and the Philippines announced plans to initiate relevant negotiations, Japanese media clearly did not anticipate our response being so firm. Originally, Japan might have expected the Chinese enforcement actions to conclude swiftly, but the situation has turned out completely differently from domestic Japanese expectations. Now, Japan fears we may exercise jurisdiction over Japanese oil tankers or other vessels by conducting inspections. Of course, from our standpoint, Japanese media coverage is clearly deliberately stoking tensions. Conducting law enforcement within our own jurisdictional waters is an international norm, and our actions are entirely reasonable, proper, and lawful.
As long as Japanese vessels comply with relevant laws and regulations, our jurisdiction will have no impact on Japan whatsoever. The claim by Japanese media that this move aims to show military strength is utterly absurd. The core purpose of our maritime law enforcement operations has never been about "showing off muscles"—it is to safeguard navigational safety and maintain normal maritime order, a legitimate right any sovereign nation possesses. It must be emphasized that in Japanese media reporting, Japan portrays Taiwan as an “independent” entity—what is the intention behind this? Clearly, Japan needs a correct understanding of China’s law enforcement activities. If Japan takes advantage of this situation to provoke rhetoric and escalate tensions, it will only harm itself.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867887027309707/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.