naturalfeature:senkaku/diaoyu islands

China’s dangerous brinkmanship in maritime Northeast Asia | The Strategist

▻http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/chinas-dangerous-brinkmanship-in-maritime-northeast-asia

China’s behaviour over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute with Japan is deeply worrisome. It not only displays a level of brinkmanship which could easily lead to war, it also seems to be part of a broader maritime ‘probing’ strategy designed to constantly test the resolve of Japan and its US ally. The result could be even greater instability in Northeast Asia.

At least twice in the past two weeks, Chinese forces directed a fire-control radar at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) vessel and helicopter. The key question is whether such dangerous crisis management reflects a deliberate strategy on the part of Beijing or if it was due to a lack of coordination among the key actors. According to media reports, the later seems closer to the truth. It seems that only now is China’s management of the dispute under direct command and coordination of a top-level task force led by General Secretary Xi Jinping.

#chine #japon #senkaku

Island dispute continues to fuel China-Japan tensions - World Socialist Web Site

►http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/08/jpch-j08.html

Island dispute continues to fuel China-Japan tensions
By Peter Symonds
8 January 2013

Two incidents near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea have underscored the danger of simmering tensions between China and Japan erupting into a major confrontation.

The Japanese coastguard reported yesterday that four Chinese marine surveillance ships sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Japanese-controlled islands, known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu. The Japanese foreign ministry issued a formal protest to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. The alleged intrusion was the first this year and the 21st since Tokyo “nationalised” the islands in September, provoking sharp protests from China.

#chine #japon #senkaku

Air incident escalates Japan/China tensions over disputed islands

►http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/jpch-d15.shtml
By Peter Symonds
15 December 2012

The entry of a Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft on Thursday into the airspace around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has further heightened tensions with Japan, which scrambled eight F-15 fighter jets and an early warning aircraft to intercept the plane. The small twin-engine aircraft, which went undetected by the Japanese military’s radar, left the area without a direct confrontation.

The incident is a marked escalation of the island dispute both by China, which dispatched an aircraft to the area for the first time, and Japan, which responded with the heavy-handed use of force. Both sides have exploited the issue to stir up nationalism to divert attention from a worsening economic and social crisis at home.

Japan, China, and the Tide of Nationalism - Council on Foreign Relations

Un texte éclairant

►http://www.cfr.org/asia/japan-china-tide-nationalism/p29080?cid=nlc-public-the_world_this_week-link13-20120921

Author: Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow for Japan Studies

Tensions between Japan and China over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands have escalated to a new, troubling level. On September 11, Japan’s cabinet secretary announced the government had purchased the islands from a Japanese citizen. Since then, China has sent nearly twenty marine surveillance ships to patrol through the islands, prompting a full alert by Japan’s Coast Guard. In addition, two Japanese activists landed on the Senkaku Islands on September 18.

Anti-Japan demonstrations spread across China, reaching more than 100 cities, with Japanese businesses targeted for looting and damages. China’s Internet was alive with condemnation of Japan on September 18, the anniversary of the Japanese military’s invasion of China in 1931.

#japon #chine #nationalisme

Japan and China face off in island dispute
►http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/sep2012/chjp-s26.shtml

By Peter Symonds
26 September 2012

A tense standoff is continuing between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea. Japanese coast guard vessels are facing off against Chinese surveillance and fishery patrol ships, which have briefly entered waters near the rocky outcrops, claimed and controlled by Japan.

The situation was further complicated yesterday when a flotilla of about 50 Taiwanese fishing vessels and 10 Taiwanese surveillance ships entered the disputed waters. Japanese coast guard ships turned water cannon on the fishing boats when loud hailers and electronic signs failed to deter them. Taiwan, like China, insists that the island group is historically part of Chinese territory.

#chine #japon #diaoyu #senkaku