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| Photo credit: Wikipedia |
The uninhabited islets of East China Sea are another flash
point east of the Pacific Ocean. China, Japan and Taiwan are involved in dispute
over conflicting claims on chain of islands called Senkaku by the Japanese and
Diaoyu by the Chinese. China also claims
ownership and sovereignty over Spratly’s group of islands at the South China
Sea which is also contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and
Brunei.
Early in August 2012, a group of 14 residents from Hong Kong
and mainland China travelled by fishing boat and landed in one of the islands
at Diaoyu. Japanese authorities then arrested and deported them. Later, a group
of Japanese activists on a flotilla of 150 people went to the Japanese
controlled Diaoyu group of islands. Ten of them swam ashore and raised the
Japanese flag on one of the Islands on August 19. 2012. Although that move was
not sanctioned by the Japanese government, it nevertheless sparked a nationwide
protest in China.
The tense situation came to a head when Japan announced that
it bought some of the islands at Diaoyu from their private owner at 26 million
dollars. This infuriated China and President Hu Jintao warned that the move was
invalid and illegal. In relation to the Japanese action, the Chinese took to
the streets in the cities of Guanzhou, Wenzhou, Shanghai and other cities, and
attacked some Japanese-owned business establishments. The protesters also
threatened to boycott Japanese-made products and establishments. The situation forced
the Japanese companies such as Panasonic, Toyota and others to temporarily
suspend their operations.
Taiwan joined the fray by sending 50 fishing vessels
escorted by patrol ships to Diaoyu Islands. They were intercepted by Japanese
coast guard ships which fired water cannon into the vessels. The Taiwanese
patrol ships retaliated by also firing their water cannon into the Japanese
ships. It was fortunate that the drama ended with neither side firing real
ammunition.
Lately, China bought from Ukraine and put into service its
first ever aircraft carrier joining the exclusive clubs of ten countries with active
aircraft carriers. Christened Liaoning, the aircraft carrier can hold 30 fixed
wing fighters which is way below the capacity of the much larger Nimitz class aircraft
carrier of the US that can carry around 90 aircrafts. China is adding to its
fleet six more aircraft carriers that are still in the process of construction.
From all indications, China aims to
become the most dominant military power in the region.
Engaging in armed confrontation with Japan and even with the
weaker countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines is not the best way for
China to project itself as an emerging world power because it owes its prosperity
with its trading with the west, Japan and other countries that are allied to
the United States. Moreover, Japan like the Philippines has an outstanding mutual
defense treaty with the United States. The treaties call for mutual military
assistance in the event of an attack by another country. The United States confirmed
that the islands disputed by Japan and China are covered by its security treaty
with Japan.
For China, Japan, unlike any other claimants of the disputed
groups of island east of the Pacific is no pushover. Japan was once a world military
power with a history of occupying China, and its economy at present is one of
the largest and the strongest in the world. It is also one of the leading
countries in the world with access to most advanced and sophisticated technologies
that may include weapons. An armed confrontation between Japan and China may
probably end in stalemate with Japan gaining the political advantage.
Despite their differences, Japan and China need each other to
sustain their economic growth. China, a prosperous country with a very large
population is a very big market for the Japanese to ignore. On the part of
China, Japan is one of its largest trading partners.
Most of the Islands and islets in the disputed seas are
barren. However, the seas have great
economic and strategic significance. The South and East China seas are trade
route of about 5 trillion dollars worth of goods. They are a rich fishing area
and are also believed to sit in huge deposits of oil and natural gas.
Barring substantial find of oil and natural gas deposits on
or at the disputed group of islands; China, Japan, Taiwan and especially the
weaker countries would not initiate move that would start a full blown war because
their economic interest and well being would be adversely affected. Claimant
countries may have a distrust or animosity to one another. And isolated cases of armed clashes may arise from their dispute, but they may avoid resorting to war to settle their
differences.
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