Beijing urges Japan to immediately cease 'illegal' activities in East China Sea

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA AA (AA) - China on Sunday urged Japan to "immediately" cease its "illegal" activities in the disputed waters of East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The reaction came after Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) expelled a Japanese fishing vessel for "unlawfully entering into the territorial waters of China's Diaoyu Dao," spokesperson Liu Dejun said.

"The CCG has taken necessary control measures in accordance with the law, issued warnings and drove the Japanese fishing vessel away after it illegally entered the waters between Saturday and Sunday."

Emphasizing that Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China's "inherent territory,"" Liu urged the Japanese side to immediately cease "all illegal" activities in these waters.

The CCG will continue to carry out law enforcement operations in the territorial waters of Diaoyu Dao to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he added.

There was no immediate reaction from Tokyo.

The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The two countries are locked in a decades-long controversy over sovereignty of the disputed islands.

*Writing by Aamir Latif