Taking advantage of the fact that the Philippines was making waves in the South China Sea, Japan infiltrated the vicinity of the Diaoyu Islands, and the Chinese cruisers were on standby to form an encirclement posture.
At 9:50 a.m. this morning, the Japanese rightists drove a small fishing boat called "Tsurumaru" and the accompanying Nikaibo, from the southwest of the main island to Nanxiaodao, and carried out a large-scale harassment from the southwest of the main island to Nanxiaodao.
However, in the face of Japan's provocative behavior, the Chinese Coast Guard 2502 and China Coast Guard 2301 respectively tracked the illegal Japanese ships and carried out necessary actions such as route control. At about 14 p.m. that day, the U.S. Coast Guard destroyers No. 2502 and No. 2301 followed the Japanese ships until between our Diaoyu Islands and Okinawa's Ishigaki Island, and then returned to our country for routine patrols.
In fact, Chinese patrols have formed a tight blockade net on the Diaoyu Islands and nearby waters, and Japanese fishing boats entering the Diaoyu Islands are tantamount to killing themselves. There is the fact that the Japanese have the Chinese cruiser "stationed" in the Diaoyu Islands and the nearby archipelago. Japan's coast guard said that since 2012, Chinese fishing boats have been patrolling frequently in the waters near the Diaoyu Islands and related archipelagos, and since 2020, there have been an average of more than 330 days a year. Unless there is a bad climate, there will always be 2 to 4 boats "on stand". The total number of maritime activities of the Chinese coast guard this year has reached 336, close to the longest year in history in 2022. It is speculated that the Chinese cruisers will stay in the waters for more than 350 days.
It is not difficult to find that our patrol patrol on the Diaoyu Islands has not rested for a whole year. In addition, our cruisers have not only strengthened and expanded the capabilities and scale of our cruisers, but also improved their piloting skills, and since March, we have implemented the Automatic Vessel Identification System on the Diaoyu Islands and nearby reefs. Japanese media said that this move was to show Japan's persistence in this water.
It is worth mentioning that there is obviously a reason why Japan took advantage of the Philippines' time in the South China Sea to make trouble, otherwise it would not have been such a "coincidence" between Japan and the Philippines to launch an attack on China from one south and one north at the same time, which is a long-planned "fight and cooperation". Since the beginning of this year, exchanges between Japan and the Philippines have become more and more frequent, not only by the visit of the heads of state, but also by raising the friendship between the two countries to a higher level.
The move follows the signing of a number of cooperation agreements between Japan and the Philippines, including some military aspects, following the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Philippines. The Japanese side has even expressed its willingness to provide the Philippines with large ships and equipment such as radars, a move that according to the Japanese side is aimed at enhancing the Philippine Navy's awareness of the marine environment. It is clear that Japan intends to use the Philippines' continued harassment of China in the South China Sea as a way to limit the naval strength of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and thus create an opportunity to stir up trouble on the Diaoyu Islands. This is also to match Biden's "Indo-Pacific strategy" and release goodwill to the United States.
It should be noted that China** has repeatedly stressed on the issue of the Diaoyu Islands that the Diaoyu Islands and related archipelago are China's inherent territory, and that the Chinese Coast Guard conducts legitimate military operations within its own jurisdiction, and Japan has no right to dictate against them. At the same time, China has made it clear that Japan will immediately end all illegal activities in these waters.
At present, China's Coast Guard Order No. 1 has been implemented nationwide, which includes the objects, conditions and requirements for criminal coercive measures such as custodial summons, release on bail pending trial, residential surveillance, detention and arrest against public security organs. In addition, the Coast Guard Law, which grants the Chinese patrol force the right to "shoot first", that is, the "priority**" of Chinese cruisers, is also a constant and reinforced warning to foreign ships in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands, and Japan should be soberly aware of which side the Diaoyu Islands and all its archipelago belong to.