Chinese newspaper threatens to block Japanese ships in the East Sea

A Chinese newspaper threatened to block Japan's movement in the South China Sea if Tokyo continues to develop missiles and deploy islands to strengthen its defenses in the East China Sea.

A Chinese coast guard ship. Photo: Reuters TV.

The Yomiuri Shimbum reported on August 14 that Japan will develop a new type of surface-to-sea missile with a range of about 300 km. The weapon is expected to be deployed to islands such as Miyako by 2023. By improving the range, Japan wants to strengthen its control over the waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are disputed with China. The islands are only 170 km from Miyako.

Miyako is located at the entrance to the Miyako Strait, an international shipping route and the main route for the Chinese navy to the Pacific Ocean. If the missiles were deployed in Miyako, they would threaten all Chinese ships in the waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

Global Times, a publication affiliated with the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on August 15 accused Japan of not respecting freedom of navigation in international waters. The newspaper has long been known for its aggressive editorials by writers considered hawkish by the Chinese public.

According to the newspaper, Japan once demanded guaranteed passage in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but now wants to "dominate the Miyako Strait and decide whether to allow Chinese naval and civilian ships to enter or not".

If Japan "wants to provoke China on the sea route to the Pacific, then don't blame Beijing for restricting Tokyo's routes in the East Sea," the newspaper threatened.

"Miyako Island has been militarized, making it a target for the Chinese military, which could consider destroying the facilities on the island if war breaks out with Japan," the paper said. "It is best not to let this scenario happen, for the best interests of both countries," it said, adding that China has no intention of confronting its neighbors or the United States because it "does not suit Beijing's interests."

The newspaper warned Japan not to use double standards between "militarizing Miyako and militarizing the Nansha Islands" (China's name for Vietnam's Spratly Islands).

Ashley Townshend, a research fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and a fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre at Fudan University, said the two are completely different.

"What Japan is militarizing is within Japanese territory and is consistent with international law. China's actions, on the other hand, are taking place on disputed features, many of which are artificially expanded, and within the exclusive economic zones of other Southeast Asian countries," Townshend said. "That makes China's actions illegal and provocative, while Japan's are not."

The news comes amid rising tensions between Japan and China over territorial disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Earlier this month, Tokyo accused Beijing of sending ships 14 times to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands area on August 5, escalating tensions between the two countries.

Location of Miyako Island, Japan. Graphics: Google Maps

According to VNE