China has dispatched coast guard vessels and military drones to the Senkaku Islands, marking another escalation in tensions with Tokyo following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's controversial remarks about Taiwan.
The Chinese coast guard announced its ships conducted what it called a "rights enforcement patrol" in waters surrounding the islands, which Japan administers but China claims as the Diaoyu.
"China Coast Guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands," Beijing stated.
"This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China Coast Guard to uphold its rights and interests."
The naval deployment comes as China intensifies pressure on Tokyo after Ms Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Japan.
China has significantly ramped up diplomatic pressure since Ms Takaichi's inference, with China's consul general in Osaka declaring that "the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off" - a remark that prompted an official protest from Tokyo.
The Japanese ambassador was then summoned to China for the first time in over two years, whilst China's defence ministry warned that any Japanese intervention would be destined to fail.
The row represents a major departure from Japan's traditional approach of strategic ambiguity regarding Taiwan scenarios, a stance it has shared with its primary security ally, the United States.
Beijing has indicated it expects some form of retraction from Ms Takaichi, whose comments have triggered what Chinese state media described as "dangerously provocative".
The coast guard was dispatched through the disputed Senkaku Islands on Sunday
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Beijing issued a travel warning on Friday advising Chinese nationals against visiting Japan, leading Tokyo to call for "appropriate measures" without providing specifics.
Three Chinese carriers announced on Saturday that passengers could even receive full refunds or free changes for Japan-bound tickets.
The pressure intensified again on Sunday when China urged its citizens to "carefully reconsider" pursuing studies in Japan, citing what it described as an unstable security environment, according to the Kyodo news agency.
While the guidance stops short of an outright ban, any significant drop in Chinese students could severely impact Japanese universities.
Last year saw a record 336,708 international students in Japan, with Chinese nationals comprising over 123,000, considerably the largest contingent, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation.
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The Chinese coast guard was deployed in the latest sign of escalating tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan
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Taiwan's defence ministry reported detecting 30 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels operating around the island over the past 24 hours, alongside what appeared to be a coast guard ship.
The ministry said China was conducting another "joint combat patrol" to "harass the airspace and sea around us" late on Saturday. Taiwan deployed its own aircraft and vessels to monitor the situation.
Military maps revealed up to three drones flying between Taiwan and Japanese islands to the north-east, passing particularly close to Yonaguni, the nearest Japanese territory just 110 kilometres from Taiwan.
Taiwan's government maintains that only the island's people can determine their future, rejecting Beijing's sovereignty claims.
The island has developed its own democratic system since nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek fled there in 1949 after defeat by communist forces.
Sanae Takaichi sparked controversy in China when she suggested that an attack on Taiwan could prompt military action from Japan
|REUTERS
China's ruling Communist Party insists that unification with Taiwan is "inevitable" and hasn't ruled out using force to achieve this goal.
Beijing views any opposition to reunification as a provocative escalation.
A Chinese state media editorial warned that conflict between Japan and China wouldn't remain limited, potentially drawing in the United States and other powers, risking "a large-scale conflict with unimaginable consequences".
Japanese territory lies just 110 kilometres from Taiwan, meaning any Chinese military action could quickly spiral into a regional crisis involving multiple nations.
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