Hong Kong maritime authorities on Tuesday blocked the navigation of a fishing boat carrying a dozen people, including Hong Kong-based activists, asserting Chinese sovereignty over the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands after it left a local port, an official said.
According to the authorities, the fishing boat was authorized to fish in waters around Hong Kong, and an order to stop navigation was issued jointly with police. The ship subsequently returned to the port.
The Hong Kong authorities' action may have been taken out of concern for an adverse impact of a demonstration by those activists around the islands, known as Diaoyu in China.