Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei speaks at a daily news briefing on Wednesday, December 23, 2015. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn] The Chinese foreign ministry has defended its coastguard patrol near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday at a daily news briefing the regular patrol did nothing wrong and so is beyond reproach. "The Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets have been an inherent territory of China ever since ancient times, so patrols by Chinese coastguard vessels in the relevant sea waters are beyond reproach. The Chinese coastguard vessels carry standard equipment and are no different from international practice." Hong made the remarks in response to Japanese media reports that a Chinese coastguard ship armed with four gun turrets had been spotted near the islands on Tuesday afternoon. It was reportedly the first time an armed Chinese coastguard ship had been sighted near the area. |
