The Japan Coast Guard has spotted Chinese coast guard ships for the first time near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, Japanese officials said Wednesday.
Chinese patrol boats Haijing 2101, Haijing 2166, Haijing 2350 and Haijing 2506 were seen entering the contiguous zone surrounding territorial waters around Kubajima, one of the five Senkaku islands, between 10:50 a.m. (1:50 a.m. GMT) and 11 a.m., according to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha.
Japan Coast Guard ships told the Chinese ships not to approach Japanese waters. The Haijing 2350 replied in Chinese and Japanese that the ships were patrolling waters under Chinese jurisdiction, the Japanese officials said.
