China and Japan’s coast guards have given different accounts of a confrontation that occurred near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea. China’s Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Diaoyu Islands – which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands. China claims them as their territory, despite the islands being administered by Japan. Japan’s Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel. The confrontation comes as diplomatic ties between the two nations spiral, after Japan’s leader made controversial comments about Taiwan last month.

Full report : Chinese and Japanese boats face off near disputed islands as feud worsens.