(Phill Sherrod) Senkaku / Diaoyu: Chinese ships in disputed islands, tension grows between Tokyo and Beijing

» 12/21/2012 09:43
JAPAN - CHINA
Senkaku / Diaoyu: Chinese ships in disputed islands, tension grows between Tokyo and Beijing
According to the Coast Guard, a group of vessels has crossed the 12 nautical miles around the atolls. A showdown from Beijing, which shows that it can "come and go" when it wants to. It is the first violation in the area, since the Japanese elections which confirmed the victory of Abe.


Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Beijing has sent some ships to the territorial waters surrounding a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea at the center of a dispute with Japan. This is the first incursion since the Japanese elections which saw the triumph of the "hawk" and conservative Shinzo Abe, of the Liberal Party (LDP). From now on the new Tokyo leadership has made it clear that the Chinese challenge "must be stopped", although it is also our duty to construct "good relations in the national interest of both countries." However, the dispute around the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, threatens to plunge already strained relations.

Japan's coast guard reported that three Chinese patrol boats entered in the 12 nautical miles around the Senkaku Islands, and in addition, there is also a group of fishing vessels stationed in adjacent waters. It is the 19th time that Beijing has sent boats to the area, since Tokyo nationalized the atolls last September. Experts believe it is a Chinese show of strength to prove they can "come and go from the area as they please."

Tensions have peaked since 13 December last when Tokyo scrmbled fighter jets after a Chinese aircraft entered the airspace of the Senkaku / Diaoyu, for the first time since 1958. For several months, Tokyo and Beijing have been staging a tug of war over the sovereignty of this group of islands in the East China Sea, sending ships, coastguards, fishing boats and now planes. Asian policy experts argue that Beijing "will not compromise" and intends to "keep up the pressure."

The new Communist leadership headed by President Xi Jinping does not seem to be willing to close the territorial disputes in a peaceful manner, involving various strategic areas of Asia and the Pacific. Beijing's latest weapon of choice is that of science. A 11-page report presented to the UN asserts that "the appearance and geological features show that the islands are part of the fault line of China's mainland territory." It is an attempt to undermine the legal system of territorial waters and of international organizations.
(Phill Sherrod)