Chinese ship ‘surveys’ in Japan’s exclusive economic zone

A Chinese maritime surveillance ship and a ship of the Japanese Coast Guard – Photo: SCMP/GETTY IMAGES

According to the newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) on June 7, The Japan Coast Guard identified the Chinese ship mentioned above as the survey ship Dong Phuong Hong 3 (Dong Fang Hong 3), which was operating in an area about 73km north of Ishigaki Island on June 4.

At that time, the Dong Phuong Hong 3 was located about 90km south of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and about 400km west of Okinawa.

The Japan Coast Guard said that the vessel had deployed cables in the stern and appeared to be conducting research. They asked the Chinese ship to stop its activities, but this request was ignored.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry sent a note to Beijing to protest. They stressed it was “extremely regrettable” that Chinese ships carried out scientific research in Japan’s EEZ without notifying or asking Tokyo’s permission.

Follow SCMP, analysts say, is the latest in a series of apparent Chinese tests aimed at assessing Japan’s response. In March, a Chinese vessel was found to be conducting a similar maritime survey in Japan’s EEZ off Kume Island.

However, Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, said that China’s approach could backfire: “China operates within the exclusive economic zones of countries. Otherwise, the US, Australia and Japan can do the same.”