A China Coast Guard ship formation passed through the waters of the Senkaku Islands on Sunday (November 16, 2025) on a “rights enforcement patrol,” the China Coast Guard said in a statement, as Beijing ramps up tensions with Japan over its Prime Minister’s remarks on Taiwan.
A diplomatic spat between China and Japan has intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Parliament on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically-ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
China tells citizens to avoid Japan travel as Taiwan row grows; Tokyo urges ‘appropriate steps’
The remarks sparked an angry response from Beijing, which has signalled that it expects Ms. Takaichi to retract them in some fashion.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
