Soon after, hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels approached the islands to assert China’s sovereignty. These vessels have lately been joined by an increasing number of Chinese surveillance forces, which periodically enter the waters surrounding the islands, sometimes leading to direct confrontation with Japanese patrol ships.
中国和日本的争论中心是钓鱼岛列岛，日本称之为尖阁列岛。9月，日本政府宣布从日本私人所有者手中收购钓鱼岛列岛的三个岛屿，这在中国掀起了反日示威潮。不久，数百艘中国渔船驶近钓鱼岛宣示中国主权。最近，越来越多的中国海事巡逻船只也加入了这些渔船的行列，定期在钓鱼岛附近水域巡航，有时与日本巡逻舰只发生冲突。