China cries 'maritime boundaries not delimited' after firing missiles in Japan's waters

Amid heightened tensions over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China on August 4 fired five ballistic missiles during military drills near Taiwan that landed inside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. However, Beijing has defended the move saying that China and Japan have no delimited boundaries. 

"China and Japan have not delimited the boundaries in related maritime areas, so it is not the case that area of China's military operation is inside or has entered Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Thursday, reported Chinese mouthpiece Global Times.

Japan, which is a crucial US ally and that has played a key role to counter China's rise in East Asia, has also launched a diplomatic protest against Beijing.

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said it is the first time that a missile belonging to the Chinese military had landed within Japan's waters. "This is a grave issue that concerns our country's national security and the safety of the people," Kishi was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. 

China fires missiles near Taiwan after Pelosi's visit

China on Thursday performed long-range live fire strikes near Taiwan as part of military drills in the region to their highest level in decades.

The long-range rocket artillery were launched in the Taiwan Strait and missiles were launched in waters to the east of Taiwan.

Taiwan condemned China's "irrational behaviour" that intends to disrupt regional peace and stability in the region and change the status quo. 

"The three service branches will combine efforts with all the people to jointly safeguard national security and territorial integrity" while adapting to the situation as it develops, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.

The military drills came after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which Beijing claims its own terrorist.

Image: AP