China, Japan vessels face off near disputed islands

Chinese and Japanese vessels engaged in a new standoff around disputed islands that have long been a flashpoint between the two nations.

Transcript

00:00Here are more updates on China and Japan's tense relations.

00:03Vessels from both countries engaged in a new standoff around disputed islands earlier today.

00:09China's Coast Guard says a Japanese fishing vessel illegally entered the waters of the Diaoyi Islands,

00:16which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands.

00:19Japan's Coast Guard says it intercepted two Chinese ships as they approached the fishing vessel.

00:25The Japanese-administered islands have long been a flashpoint between the two nations.

00:32Although Japan and China reached an in-principle agreement in 2008 to jointly exploit resources in the East China Sea,

00:40tensions have risen over the past decade.

00:42Beijing has stepped up ship deployments around the islands,

00:46with the number of Chinese Coast Guard vessels operating there hitting a record high last year.

00:50The number of days Chinese government vessels were spotted in the area

00:54also reached a record for the third straight year in 2024.

00:59Prior to Tuesday's incident, the China Coast Guard last entered the waters around the islands on November 16,

01:06calling it a lawful patrol to uphold China's rights and interests.