Typhoon interrupts presence of Chinese ships near Japan islets

Chinese coast guard vessels were not spotted Monday near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea apparently due to an approaching typhoon, ending a 111-day streak of appearances since mid-April, Japan Coast Guard officials said.Four Chinese ships left the area just beyond the Japanese waters around the islets on Sunday morning and later moved further away, the officials said.China has ratcheted up pressure on Japan by constantly sending its vessels into or near the Japanese territorial waters to challenge the status quo. The uninhabited islets in the resource-rich sea …READ FULL ARTICLE