Concerns mount as Japan, China island dispute shows no sign of easing
Twelve Chinese vessels have moved to the waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea to patrol and enforce the law, according to Chinese state media.
Twelve Chinese vessels have moved to the waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea to patrol and enforce the law, according to Chinese state media.
鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
Tensions are mounting over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, just one day after the anniversary of Japan鈥檚 1931 occupation of China. Twelve Chinese vessels reportedly arrived in the waters around the islands today, and some fear there is potential of pushing rhetoric to the next level between China and Japan, which have two of the best-equipped militaries in the region.
On Sunday, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that the territorial dispute could lead to a 鈥渧iolent conflict.鈥� In comments made on his way to a weeklong trip to the Asia-Pacific region, he told reporters:
The Chinese vessels 鈥� a combination of fishing patrol boats and surveillance ships 鈥� were reportedly sent to the Diaoyu islands, as the Chinese refer to the territory, or Senkaku, as they are known in Japan, in order to 鈥渃onduct patrol and law enforcement,鈥� reports China鈥檚 state media outlet, the People鈥檚 Daily. The first boats began to arrive yesterday afternoon. 鈥淭his is the largest marine patrol in China鈥檚 history,鈥� the paper wrote.
This follows a rise in anti-Japanese protests, which have spread to close to 100 Chinese cities, according to 海角大神. But the Japanese government has thus far been cautious in how it has dealt with the dispute, in part perhaps because of proximity of the flareup to the Sept. 18 anniversary of Japan鈥檚 invasion and occupation of Manchuria, something that spurs protests annually, island disputes aside.
In an opinion piece, Bloomberg View columnist William Pesek writes that the tiny islets that are in dispute don't appear to be worthy of an international incident. But, he argues, this flareup between China and Japan feels different than past face-offs, like the sweeping 2005 protests over Japanese school textbooks downplaying Japan's role in World War II.
鈥淭he Japanese call them the Senkaku Islands, the Chinese refer to them as Diaoyu. Let me suggest a more appropriate name: Goat Islands. Goats are all you will find on the cluster of uninhabited rocks over which Japanese and Chinese seem ready to go to war,鈥� writes Mr. Pesek.
He continues:
Pesek describes the 鈥渟pike in tensions鈥� as a way to deflect attention from domestic politics, and notes that this latest clash puts a trade relationship of more than $340 billion between China and Japan at risk.
China has faced a succession of political embarrassments this year, including the Bo Xilai scandal and bad economic news.
But nationalism in both China and Japan has not helped the issue, with the Chinese government reportedly organizing and encouraging protests at home. An article by the Globe and Mail yesterday describes people patiently waiting their turn to protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing as though they were 鈥渨aiting to go on a carnival ride鈥�:
And others argue that Japan did not help stamp out tensions when it purchased the islands from a private owner, something China鈥檚 apparent leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping called a farce today.
"Japan should rein in its behavior and stop any words and acts that undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Mr. Xi said in a meeting with visiting Defense Secretary Panetta today, according to Xinhua news agency.聽
The Wall Street Journal warns that it is a mistake to underestimate the power of nationalism in China.