中國增派海警船巡視釣魚島海域

China's top oceanic agency announced that two more Coast Guard ships are patrolling the waters near the Diaoyu Islands.

中國國家海洋局近日宣佈，兩艘加派的海警船正在巡視釣魚島附近海域。

Analysts said the patrols are a routine measure to demonstrate China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, as ties between China and Japan have been further deteriorating in the past months due to Japan's meddling in the South China Sea disputes.

分析人士表示，在該海域巡邏是常規行爲，目的是證明中國對釣魚島擁有主權，因爲在過去的幾個月裏由於日本方面干涉南海爭端問題，中日兩國關係已進一步惡化。

"It's normal for China to send Coast Guard vessels to the Diaoyu area to safeguard China's fishing boats, as the Diaoyu Islands are an inherent part of Chinese territory," Lü Yaodong, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

中國社科院日本研究所所長呂耀東接受《環球時報》採訪時表示：“對於中國來說，派遣海警船到釣魚島海域附近保護中國漁船是一件非常正常的事，因爲釣魚島是中國的固有領土。”

230 Chinese fishing boats and seven China Coast Guard vessels were spotted near the Diaoyu Islands, according to Kyodo News. Some of the vessels appeared to be equipped with guns, Kyodo News cited the Japan Coast Guard as saying.

據日本共同社報道，在釣魚島海域附近已經發現了230艘中國漁船和7艘中國海警船。共同社援引日本海岸警衛隊的話稱，其中一些船隻似乎裝備有槍炮。

China has sent Coast Guard vessels to patrol the disputed area at least 20 times this year, according to the State Oceanic Administration's website. But experts say it's rare that hundreds of fishing boats would sail through the area at the same time.

據國家海洋局網站上的信息顯示，中國今年已經至少20次派出海警船到該爭議海域巡邏。但是有專家表示，數百艘漁船在同一時間駛過該海域的確很少見。

Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, said the act was meant to demonstrate China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent waters.

中國外交學院國際關係研究所教授周永生表示，這一行動的目的是爲了證明中國對釣魚島及其附近海域擁有主權。

From Friday to Sunday, Japan lodged multiple protests to the Chinese Embassy in Japan as well as China's foreign ministry against the Chinese Coast Guard vessels' "intrusion," urging them to leave the waters immediately, according to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

據日本外交部網站顯示，從週五到週日，日本向中國駐日大使和中國外交部提出了多起抗議，抗議中國海警船的“入侵”，敦促他們立即離開該海域。

Responding to Japan's protests, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement that "the Chinese side is working to properly manage the situation in the relevant waters."

爲迴應日本的抗議，中國外交部發言人華春瑩在一份聲明中指出：“中方正在妥善管理相關海域的情況”。

"We strongly hope that the Japanese side will honor its principled agreement with us, and deal with the current situation with a cool head instead of taking actions that may raise tensions or complicate things," she said.

華春瑩表示：“我們強烈希望日方恪守和中國的原則協議，在處理目前局勢的時候保持冷靜的頭腦，而不是採取有可能使得局勢緊張和事件複雜化的行動。”