By Cheng Kai

BEIJING, Apr. 26 -- According to the official WeChat account of the China Coast Guard (CCG), the CCG 2301 fleet patrolled the territorial waters off China’s Diaoyu Islands on April 26, 2021.

According to a report from Kyodo News, four CCG vessels sailed into the waters off the Diaoyu Islands in succession starting from 10:15 am on April 25 and sailed out at 11:45 am. This marks the second patrol since the last one on April 13 and also the 15th time that the CCG vessels have appeared in the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands this year as detected by Japan. In all, the CCG’s law-enforcement ships have been spotted near the Diaoyu Islands and the adjacent waters for 72 consecutive days.

Since the implementation of the Coast Guard Law of the People’s Republic of China on February 1, 2012, the Japanese media have repeatedly hyped up the CCG vessels’ normal cruise to the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, reinforcing the so-called “China threat” theory.

However, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi clearly stated at the press conference of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in March that China’s coast guard law is only routine national legislation that does not target any certain country, and the law is fully in accordance with international law and practice. In fact, many countries, including Japan, have formulated and implemented similar laws and regulations for a long time.

As for Chinese vessels patrolling waters off the Diaoyu Islands, China has stated its posture for many times that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have always been an inherent part of China, where the CCG fleet’s patrol and law enforcement activities are legitimate measures taken by China to safeguard its sovereignty in accordance with the law.