Chinese and Russian warships were noticed near the islands of Senkaku (Diaoyudao) in the East China Sea, Kyodo reports. These islands are the subject of a dispute between Japan and China. Ships of the Russian Navy also entered this zone on the weekend.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Japan, the Russian ship was in the water area from 7:05 to 8:16. The department believes that the ship wanted to avoid typhoon. The Chinese frigate followed Russian and stayed in the disputed zone for about six minutes, from 7:44. As the publication notes, this is the first time since June 2016, when Chinese and Russian warships entered this zone at about the same time.
At the same time, Tokyo expressed Pekin protest. The representative of the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers Seiji Kihara noted that Japan “firmly but calmly” will respond to such actions. Russia has not yet commented on the incident.