China Coast Guard ship formation sails through Japan-administered Senkaku Islands

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Printed Chinese and Japanese flags are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

BEIJING - A China Coast Guard ship formation passed through the waters of the Senkaku Islands on Sunday on a rights enforcement patrol, the China Coast Guard said in a statement, as Beijing ramps up tensions with Japan over its prime ministers 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.

The remarks sparked an angry response from Beijing, which has signalled that it expects 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, which sits just 110 km (68.35 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwans government rejects Beijings sovereignty claims.

China Coast Guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China Coast Guard to uphold its rights and interests, the statement said.

China and Japan have repeatedly faced off around the Japan-administered islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu and Tokyo calls the Senkaku.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Japan has been facing mounting pressure from China since Takaichi made her remarks, with China’s Consul General in Osaka commenting: The dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off, prompting a formal protest from Tokyo.

Beijing then