Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Bad weather brought by a typhoon had ended China’s coast guard record-breaking patrols in waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea.China has been deploying coast guard ships—some of them were armed with suspected autocannons—around the Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands in China. They had patrolled for 215 consecutive days as of Tuesday, setting a new longest record, Japan News reported.A Chinese coast guard ship departed the contiguous zone around the islands on Tuesday, the Japanese coast guard said. There were no other Chinese vessels remaining on station in the area for the first time since December 22, when Japan started to detect such activity.
In FocusA China Coast Guard ship is spotted near the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on April 27.
Launch Slideshow 2 PHOTOS When Japan nationalized the islands in 2012, the uninhabited territory became the subject of the Chinese patrols. Beijing has long claimed the islands have been its territory since “ancient times” while Tokyo opposed changing the status quo unilaterally and forcefully.A contiguous zone is an area of waters that extends 12 nautical miles from territorial waters. Records provided by Japan’s coast guard showed that Chinese ships entered the territorial waters around the islands—12 nautical miles off the coast—seven times this month.Collin Koh, a researcher with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Newsweek that the enhanced presence of the Chinese coast guard in the disputed islands aimed at “demonstrating China’s effective administration over the isles.”
Japanese media suspected the Chinese ships leaving the area could be due to the approach of Typhoon Gaemi. It was situated west of Yonaguni, a Japanese island located 93 miles south of the Senkakus, as of Wednesday night, Japan’s meteorological agency reported.As of Thursday night, Gaemi was approaching China’s southeastern province of Fujian after crossing the northeastern coast of Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait. Three people have been killed on the self-ruled island so far due to mudslides caused by heavy rain, Focus Tawain reported.China’s coast guard could not be reached for comment since it has no publicly available contact information. Newsweek contacted China’s foreign ministry for comment by email.
In this photo provided by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, soldiers launch a 155 mm cannon during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Mazu County, Taiwan, July 24.
In this photo provided by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, soldiers launch a 155 mm cannon during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Mazu County, Taiwan, July 24.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry via AP
The Chinese coast guard claimed on July 11 that its ships had taken “necessary control measures” against a fishing boat and several patrol boats from Japan the previous day. It accused the Japanese of illegally entering China’s territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands.Meanwhile, the Taiwanese military cut short its annual large-scale Han Kuang exercises on Thursday and mobilized soldiers to support disaster relief after the island was hit by Gaemi. The drills, scheduled to end on Friday, will be replaced by tabletop exercises.
Uncommon KnowledgeNewsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
