evidence: In the fall of 1968, the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) noted the possible presence of immense deposits of oil and gas under the waters surrounding the islands. Subsequently, starting with a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on December 30, 1971, Beijing began officially claiming the islands as Chinese territory. In February 1992, China passed the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, with Article 2(2) defining the Senkaku Islands as "Chinese territory." Later, in September 2012, it set up a baseline that surrounds the Senkaku Islands. China not only claims territorial rights over the Senkaku Islands themselves, but in recent years has also become increasingly aggressive in the waters that surround them. China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have routinely made incursions into the territorial waters around the islands, navigated through the contiguous zone, and approached or pursued Japanese fishing boats. In 2021, CCG vessels navigated through Japan’s contiguous zone a total of 332 days. That was second only to 2020, when a new annual record of 333 days was set. Moreover, CCG vessels approached or pursued Japanese fishing boats in the waters surrounding Senkaku Islands on 18 occasions in 2021, double the frequency of 2020.