Senior Chinese military officials have admitted that a PLA Navy frigate locked its fire-control radar onto a Japanese vessel in January, according to Japan’s Kyodo News. China has previously claimed that the incident was concocted to tarnish its image, but it nevertheless fueled widespread concern that tensions in the East China Sea might unintentionally spiral into conflict. From the AFP:
The officials, including “flag officers” — those at the rank of admiral — told Kyodo it was an “emergency decision”, not a planned action, and was taken by the commander of the frigate, the report said.
[…] The Chinese officials told Kyodo that on January 30 the frigate and the Japanese destroyer were three kilometres (two miles) apart in international waters some 110 to 130 kilometres north of the outcrops, the report said.
The commander of the frigate directed his vessel’s weapons-targeting radar, based on the Chinese military’s rules of engagement, without seeking instructions from the fleet command or navy headquarters, Kyodo cited the Chinese officers as saying.
It was not known if the commander had been reprimanded, Kyodo said.
According to Kyodo, Japanese defense officials see the about-turn as a sign “that China is either playing mind games or is softening its stance toward Japan.” The latter interpretation would conform to recent suggestions that, from Beijing’s point of view, the Diaoyu stand-off was largely a tool to consolidate Xi Jinping’s new leadership.
Updated: China has dismissed the Kyodo report. From Zhang Yunbi at China Daily:
The Ministry of National Defense has rejected the Japanese media’s latest “hype” over the alleged naval “radar lock-on” incident and warned of a hidden agenda behind Tokyo’s recent reports.
In the latest chapter of the radar “drama”, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News Agency released an article on Sunday quoting unnamed Chinese officials who reportedly admitted to “locking radar on Japanese ships”.
Beijing previously dismissed the allegation as groundless, while the ministry denied the Kyodo report, reiterating on Monday that “the facts are clear”.
