China ‘sharpens response’, starts military exercises near disputed islands

 

Chinese marine surveillance ship. (AFP Photo / Japan Coast Guard)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/china-islands-chinese-vessels-771/

The Chinese navy is set to begin joint military exercises on Friday in the East China Sea. The exercises will take place on the doorstep of the islands at the heart of the recent tensions between Japan and the mainland.

­The exercises were announced on Thursday, and will include vessels from the Chinese fishing agency and maritime surveillance. China’s Xinhua news agency reported that a total of 11 navy vessels and eight naval aircraft will participate in the maneuvers, “improving coordination between the navy and administrative patrol vessels and sharpening their response to emergencies in missions to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime interests,” according to a Chinese navy statement.

The latest round of saber-rattling comes amid high tensions in the East China Sea following the Japanese acquisition of several disputed islands in September. The islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been administered by the Japanese, but are claimed by China, as well as Taiwan.

After the Japanese government purchased the islands from a private owner on September 5, tensions in the region escalated dramatically. Chinese and Taiwanese flotillas immediately set sail for the islands, only to be pummeled by Japanese water cannons.

Xinhua also quoted the Chinese fleet statement as saying that fishing patrol vessels in the area had been “stalked, harassed and even intentionally interfered with by foreign vessels, greatly challenging their duties.”

Chinese fishing boats have repeatedly claimed territorial fishing rights in the region.

Adding weight to the conflict over the uninhabited islands are the suspected large natural gas reserves in the surrounding waters.

 

A Japan Coast Guard vessel (R) sprays water against Taiwanese fishing boats, while a Taiwanese coast guard ship (L) also sprays water in the East China Sea near Senkaku islands as known in Japanese or Diaoyu Islands in Chinese on September 25, 2012. (AFP Photo / AFP Photo / Yomiuri Shimbun)

Exercises ‘legitimate’, economics in play

Japanese TV channel Fuji TV first reported that Chinese vessels were maneuvering towards the disputed islands on Tuesday, and that Japanese military surveillance aircraft had been dispatched to monitor them, citing government sources. In response, China’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement stating the "Chinese navy vessels' routine training and navigation in the waters in question is justified and legitimate."

If the Chinese ships attempt to breach Japanese-controlled waters, it would inflame a situation which is unstable at best. The past month has seen violent anti-Japan demonstrations across China, while several Japanese companies and manufacturers have hoisted anchor, closing their stores and factories on the mainland in response.

Dr. Joseph Gerson, an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs and programs director at the American Friends Service Committee, told RT that although the islands remain a dangerous flashpoint for the two nations, the importance of China-Japan economic ties may outweigh the consequences of full-scale war.

“They’re both competitors and partners in trade,” he said. “During the last crisis over these islands, the Chinese, at least for a period of time, embargoed the sale and trade of rare earth, which is essential to Japan’s high-tech economy. At the same time, China needs Japanese investment, so a war would cost both, and I think that’s one reason why it didn’t happen,”Gerson said.

Gerson added that while the situation had calmed somewhat after a short period on the brink of crisis, it could still “flare up at any time that it meets the interest of political leaders seeking to manipulate the situation.”

Read More

US, Japan mull joint military drill to simulate retaking island: Report

 

Photo shows members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force leaving the island of Guam after a joint drill on Sept. 22, 2012, with the U.S. Marine Corps aimed at strengthening their ability to defend remote islands from foreign assault.

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/14/266572/us-japan-mull-drill-to-retake-island/

The United States and Japan are considering a joint military maneuver in which their troops will simulate recapturing an uninhabited island from foreign forces, a report says.

Japan's Kyodo news agency on Saturday quoted unidentified sources in Tokyo as saying that the drill will be carried out in an uninhabited island in Okinawa before the broader joint exercises scheduled to kick off in early November.

The US and Japanese forces would use boats and helicopters to land on the island as a part of the maneuver, the Japanese news agency said.

The drill comes as Japan and China are gridlocked in a dispute over the sovereignty of a chain of islands, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and the Diaoyu in Chinese, in the East China Sea.

The uninhabited islands which sit on top of valuable resources are currently under Japan's administration but claimed by China and Taiwan, too.

The joint drill will be conducted in the tiny island of Irisunajima, which is in the East China Sea but hundreds of miles away from the disputed islands, the report said.

Trade between the two global economic heavyweights has faltered over the islands row.

The sales of Japanese cars nose dived in China in September with Japan's largest automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan experiencing drops of 48.9, 40.5 and 35.3 percent respectively compared with the same period in 2011.

As Japan's biggest trading partner, mainland China accounted for 20 percent of Japan's exports in 2011, according to Japan External Trade Organization.

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have eased in recent weeks but the US-Japan drill, if it really takes place, would definitely reignite the ashes of antagonism between the two powers.

Japan says its alliance with the United States has served as a deterrent in the territorial dispute although Washington has not adopted an official stance over the issue.

The United States "has been saying that they do not take a position on the sovereignty issue but have always stated that US-Japan security arrangements would cover those islands," said Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan's ambassador to Washington, on Thursday.

"I think that constitutes an important deterrence," he said at the Brookings Institution think tank.

Read More

Major Japanese firms suspend operations in China

 

Chinese protesters hold placards and flags as they march past the Japanese embassy during a protest over disputed islands, in Beijing on September 16, 2012

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/09/17/262049/japanese-firms-halt-business-in-china/

Japanese companies have temporarily suspended their operations in China as Chinese protesters hold fresh rallies to defy Japan’s move to purchase a chain of disputed islands, claimed by the two economic heavyweights and Taiwan.

Major car-makers Toyota and Honda, as well as electronics-maker Panasonic were on Monday obliged to shut their businesses in China after some of their factories were attacked by Chinese protesters across the country. Toyota and Honda also reported arson attacks on their stores in Qingdao.

Meanwhile, several Japanese schools across China, including in Beijing and Shanghai, cancelled classes due to the escalation of the crisis.

Anti-Japan protesters marched past the Japanese embassy in the capital Beijing after Japan announced its decision on Tuesday to purchase a chain of the disputed islands in East China Sea from their private Japanese owner.

Following the announcement, Beijing sent six surveillance ships to the islands “to start patrol and law enforcement.”

In the southern city of Shenzhen, police fired tear gas at the angry protesters who were calling for “bloodbath” in Tokyo.

In addition, over 1,000 protesters held a demonstration in the southern city of Guangzhou, burning Japanese flags. They also attacked a hotel next to the Japanese consulate.

The disputed territories, known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have been the topic of a long-running row between Tokyo and Beijing. The islands are uninhabited but resource-rich.

The islands are located near a crucial shipping lane and would give the owner exclusive oil, mineral and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.

 

Read More

US wades into China Japan island dispute with missile defense deal

 

(AFP Photo / Mark Ralston)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/china-japan-war-panetta-290/

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.

"I am concerned that when these countries engage in provocations of one kind or another over these various islands, that it raises the possibility that a misjudgment on one side or the other could result in violence, and could result in conflict,"Panetta said.

He also warned that Beijing and Tokyo should put an end to provocations or risk a “potentially expanding” conflict.

Following the diplomatic meeting with Panetta, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said that Washington had agreed that the Senkaku islands, claimed by both Japan and China, are covered by a US-Japan security treaty.

In the 1960 treaty, the US committed to aid the Japanese in the event of an attack on the nation’s territory.

"I did not bring up the topic today, but it is mutually understood between Japan and the United States that [the islands] are covered by the treaty," Gemba said after the meeting on Monday. Washington previously claimed that the US would not take sides in the territorial dispute over the archipelago in the East China Sea.

The US also signed an agreement with Japan on Monday to build a second missile defense radar installation on Japanese territory, aimed at countering North Korea. China may view the move as a provocation.

The Senkaku islands – known as Diaoyu to the Chinese – are uninhabited, but are believed to contain rich mineral deposits and are located on important shipping lanes.

Violent protests rocked China after Japan announced last week that it had purchased three of the islands from a private owner. In the latest bout of demonstrations, anti-Japanese activists attacked Panasonic factories in the eastern city of Quingdao. Protesters burned Japanese flags and targeted Japanese-made cars.

In response to the wave of unrest, Panasonic temporarily ceased operations in China. In addition, Canon announced that it would suspend operations for employees’ safety. Toyota Motor Corp also said that it was affected by the anti-Japanese unrest, citing a suspected arson attack on one of its factories in the eastern Shandong province.

­

‘A decade of stagnation’

On Monday, the Chinese government threatened that Japan could suffer from another “lost decade” if relations between the two countries deteriorate further.

"How could be it be that Japan wants another lost decade, and could even be prepared to go back by two decades," state newspaper the People's Daily said in a front-page article. China "has always been extremely cautious about playing the economic card," it said.

The paper claimed that China was prepared to “take up the battle,” should tensions persist.

 

Read More

East Asia disputes may draw in others - Panetta

 

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/09/17/262055/east-asia-disputes-may-expand-panetta/

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has expressed concern over territorial disputes between Japan and China, saying the spats may lead to conflicts involving other countries.

"I am concerned that when these countries engage in provocations of one kind or another over these various islands that it raises the possibility that a misjudgment on one side or the other could result in violence and could result in conflict and that conflict would then, you know, have the potential of expanding," Panetta told reporters on Sunday onboard his plane en route to Tokyo, Japan.

Tokyo is the first stop of Panetta’s weeklong trip to the East Asia region, which will include visits to China and New Zealand.

The trip is reportedly the third tour of the American military chief to Asia Pacific in the past 11 months, echoing Pentagon’s shifting efforts to place further military emphasis on the region.

Panetta said he will urge countries of the region, especially China, to find ways to peacefully resolve their disputes.

Protests against Japan have erupted across China over the past days over a long-running dispute on a group of uninhabited islands in East China Sea.

During his visit to Japan, the American defense secretary plans to discuss with officials in Tokyo the controversial deployment of 12 V-22 Osprey aircraft to the country.

Thousands of Japanese have protested the hybrid aircraft’s planned deployment in their nation, questioning its safety record.

 

Read More

Japan's ambassador to China dies amid rising anti-Japanese protests

 

Chinese demonstrators carry anti-Japan banners and shout slogans during a protest over the Diaoyu islands issue, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan, in Wuhan.(AFP Photo / China Out)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/japan-china-island-dispute-protest-244/

The Japanese ambassador to China died in a Tokyo hospital after being admitted three days earlier. His death coincides with an escalation in anti-Japanese protests across China over a territorial dispute.

The cause of ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya’s death is currently under investigation, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs said. Three days ago, Nishimiya was found unconscious near his Tokyo home after leaving for work.

A second day of demonstrations took place across China against Japan's territorial claim to a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea. China does not recognize Japan's claim to the isles, which are known to the Japanese as 'Senkaku' and as 'Diaoyu' by the Chinese.

In Shenzhen, a city near Hong Kong in southern China, police dispersed thousands of activists with water cannons. And in the eastern city of Qingdou, witnesses reported smoke and flames coming from a factory owned by Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic. A Toyota dealership was also damaged in Qingdou, a company spokesperson said.

In response, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called on the Chinese government to “ensure the security of Japanese citizens,” and decried the recent surge of anti-Japanese demonstrations. “I strongly object to the burning of Japanese flags and the protests,” Noda said on a Japanese talk show broadcast by NHK.

Tensions between the two countries intensified on Friday when six Chinese ships entered Japanese waters near the disputed islands and ignored the Japanese Coast Guard's orders to leave. The move triggered angry protests in hundreds of Chinese cities, some of which were reportedly violent.

 

Read More

Chinese ships breach Japan’s naval border

 

Chinese patrol ship Haijian (AFP Photo / Handout)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/chinese-ships-breach-japan-naval-border-101/

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.

­The first two ships in the battalion entered the disputed waters at around 21:20 GMT on Thursday. After a few hours of “patrolling,” three of the ships have left the disputed waters, while another three stayed, local media reported.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that six of its surveillance ships had entered the waters near the islands.

So far, Japanese border patrol ships have not taken any active measures against the Chinese vessels.

“The patrol activity is intended to demonstrate the jurisdiction of the Chinese government over the Diaoyu Islands and the adjacent islands, and also to protect the country’s naval interests,” the statement reads.

Japan has created a crisis headquarters in response to the incident. The country's officials urgently summoned the Chinese Ambassador to a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

This is the latest in a series of diplomatic rows between China and Japan centered on control of the Senkaku, or Diaoyu in Mandarin, islands.

On Tuesday, Japan announced it had purchased the islands from a private owner, ignoring Chinese territorial claims. Following the announcement, two ships from the China Marine Surveillance were dispatched to the tiny archipelago in the South China Sea “to assert the country’s sovereignty.”

At that time, however, the vessels did not come within 12 nautical miles of the islands, an area Japan considers its territorial waters.

Chinese smash Japanese cars in protest

­Meanwhile, the nationalistic spirit has taken a hold in China. Blogs and forums have been throbbing with discussion over various protests against the Japanese repatriation of the disputed islands.

In Shanghai, an angry man was said to have driven his Honda Civic to a local dealership and set the vehicle ablaze. In Shenzhen, several Japanese-made cars have been smashed.

The tourist industry is reacting as well by canceling plans to visit Japan in early October, when China celebrates its National Day. A couple in Kunming told the state-run Xinhua news agency that they had canceled a wedding photo shoot because the studio couldn’t meet their demand to take their pictures with cameras not made by Japanese companies, reports the Los Angeles Times. Many Chinese celebrities and politicians are refusing to travel to Japan.

On Wednesday, a crowd of people demonstrated outside the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai; and about 60 people rallied outside Japan's Interchange Association, Japan's de facto embassy in Taipei, to protest the nationalization move, as Taiwan also lays claim to the islands.

Recently, Chinese state media began broadcasting weather reports for the islands for the first time

 

Read More