Taiwan recently entered a mounting dispute over islands in the East China Sea by sending dozens of fishing boats to the region. Analysts fear these tiny, uninhabited islands could become the flashpoint for a full-fledged international conflict.
The islands at the center of the dispute are a small archipelago off the coast of Taiwan, claimed by China, Japan, and Taiwan itself. They are dubbed the Senkaku in Japan, the Diaoyu in China and the Tiaoyutai in Taiwan. Japan annexed the islands from China in 1895 and has controlled them ever since, except when the country was administered by the US from 1945 to 1972. The waters surrounding the islands are rich fishing grounds, and a 1968 geological survey discovered possible oil and gas reserves in the area.
Tokyo announced on September 5 that it was purchasing the islands from their Japanese private owner, and a whirlwind of violent protest ensued across China.
Amid the mounting tensions, Beijing announced on Monday plans to deploy unmanned drones to conduct marine surveillance of the area surrounding the disputed islands by 2015. Three Chinese patrol vessels remain in the seas near the uninhabited archipelago, and have briefly entered waters which Tokyo considers Japanese territory.
Taiwan then entered the dispute on Monday when it sent a flotilla of 40 fishing boats to the islands in a bid to reassert the country’s fishing rights in the region. The Japanese Coast Guard used water cannons to disperse the vessels.
Dr. Joseph Gerson, an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs and the Programs Director at the American Friends Service Committee, argued that these seemingly innocuous islands actually possess a surprising strategic value. Continue Reading: Treasure islands? Japan-China dispute sparks fears of war as US, Taiwan weigh in — RT
Map locating the disputed South China Sea island of Senkaku/Diaoyu. (Reuters)
MORE ON THE STORY
Today: 07:1426 commentsJapan uses water cannons against Taiwanese flotilla (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
Japan’s coastguard vessels have used water cannons in an effort to push the Taiwanese flotilla out of what Tokyo claims to be its territorial waters near the disputed islands in the East China Sea.
14.09, 04:4791 commentsChinese ships breach Japan’s naval border
Six Chinese ships entered Japanese waters near a group of disputed islets claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo early on Friday, ignoring the Japanese coast guard's orders to vacate its territorial waters.
23.09, 00:116 comments'No to Beijing terrorists': Japanese stage anti-China march over islands reference (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
Hundreds of Japanese nationalists have marched through the streets of Tokyo in protest against Chinese foreign policy, as the diplomatic row between the two countries over an archipelago in the East China Sea threatens to spiral out of control.
19.09, 15:1933 commentsChina to cripple Japan with financial war over isles row?
China may introduce economic measures to cripple Japan in order to gain the upper hand in a territorial row. Following violent anti-Japanese protests and increasingly bellicose rhetoric, Beijing could employ sanctions to subdue its neighbor.
18.09, 14:225 commentsChina-Japan island row could hurt 'more than 2011 earthquake'
As the territorial dispute between China and Japan is gathering pace, analysts warn it could hurt trade relationships and bring Japanese producers more losses than the earthquake in 2011.
17.09, 13:3251 commentsUS wades into China-Japan island dispute with missile defense deal
A territorial dispute between China and Japan could spark a “violent conflict,” US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. The US also inked a missile defense deal with Tokyo likely to anger Beijing, while mass anti-Japanese protests grip China.
11.09, 21:2147 comments‘Japan playing with fire:' Chinese warships deployed to disputed islands
Two Chinese patrol ships have been dispatched to a group of disputed islands following Tokyo’s announcement that it would purchase the isles from private owners. Beijing has vowed “reciprocal measures” should the situation escalate.
No comments:
Post a Comment