China 'moves drilling equipment' into disputed waters

Rahul92

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China 'moves drilling equipment' into disputed waters

Japan says China has shipped drilling equipment to a disputed gas field in the East China Sea, fuelling diplomatic tensions between the Asian giants.

China has previously refrained from unilateral drilling at Japan's request.

Both Beijing and Tokyo claim exploration rights over the area.

China scrapped scheduled talks with Japan over joint exploration of the field last week after Japan arrested the captain of a Chinese trawler near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

All have been released except the captain who remains in detention.

The Chinese fishing boat reportedly rammed Japanese coastguard patrol boats which had been trying to intercept it.

Prosecutors have until Sunday to charge or release the captain.

There are unconfirmed reports of anti-Japanese demonstrations in China including Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou this weekend.

Security around the Japanese Embassy in Beijing has been stepped up.


Tensions have been strained over the arrest of the captain of a Chinese trawler in disputed waters


Unresolved issues

Japan's foreign ministry says the drilling equipment has been moved to a platform above a natural gas field, known as Chunxiao in China and Shirakaba in Japan.

Aerial photos taken by surveillance missions by Japan forces showed the shipments and workers engaged in what appeared to be preparations for drilling, Kyodo News reported.

But Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who stepped down on Friday, said Beijing had told Tokyo that the equipment was for "repair work".

He said he "strongly expects" that China would refrain from starting gas extraction.

China started drilling in Chunxiao in 2003, inflaming tensions with Japan, which expressed fears that Beijing could siphon gas from what it considered its own side.

China contends that the gas field falls easily within its maritime zone, but Japan contests this.

The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says it is perhaps a small development - but comes at a time when relations between the two countries are as bad as they have been for several years.

China has made repeated protests over the detention of the Chinese fishing boat and its captain near the uninhabited islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, and warned that it could harm bilateral ties.

Ties between China and Japan have improved in recent years - these two nations are now major trading partners.

But this latest incident is a reminder that there are many unresolved issues between the two countries - issues that have the potential to develop into major disputes, our correspondent says.
 

Rahul92

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it s war for liquid gold, prestigious for any nation
 

amoy

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Japan has the world's largest trade surplus over China at tens of billions of dollars, followed by SKorea.
unconfirmed reports of anti-Japanese demonstrations in China including Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou this weekend.
It's for sure boycotting Japnese imports will be one of appeals.

especially tomorrow is 9.18 the date when Jap launched the war in Manchuria of China in 1932!
 

Rahul92

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Japan has the world's largest trade surplus over China at tens of billions of dollars, followed by SKorea.
It's for sure boycotting Japnese imports will be one of appeals.
c'mon man in today's globalization era they need each other
 

amoy

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like your vote-bank politics, the louder Beijing raises voice to Jap, the more popular it gets among Chinese

now that Jap refuses to release the captain of trawler now being held in custody (for 10days), it'd be a big 'face' losing for China if Beijing steps back

9.18 = another anniversary to come
 
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Seems like Chinese have no respect for international boundaries, this is how ww2 war started and the next one will start.
 

Tshering22

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Oh the belligerence. PRC should seriously stop letting their economic success get into their heads. They are a strong economy with a capable armed forces but that doesn't mean they can force their way into every area they want. Their obsession with capturing more and more land shows that they are getting expansionist by the day and that military buildup directed towards them is essential. I think our dodos must take this as a cue and get those carriers, submarines and MRCA fighter before PLAN starts claiming Indian Ocean as "People's Liberated Ocean" soon.
 

SHASH2K2

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Q&A: China-Japan islands row
One of the disputed islands, in an image released by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force on 15 September 2010 The row concerns eight small islands or rocks in the East China Sea

Ties between China and Japan have been strained by a territorial row over a group of islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China. The BBC looks at the background to the row.
What is the row about?

The eight uninhabited islands and rocks in question lie in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and southeast of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa.

They matter because they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits.

The islands are controlled by Japan and the latest row was sparked by Japan's seizure of a Chinese trawler that collided with two coast guard vessels near to the islands.
What is Japan's claim?

Japan says it surveyed the islands for 10 years and determined that they were uninhabited. That being the case, on 14 January 1895 it erected a sovereignty marker that formally incorporated the islands into Japanese territory. The Senkaku islands became part of the Nansei Shoto islands - also known as the Ryukyu islands and now as modern-day Okinawa prefecture.

After World War II Japan renounced claims to a number of territories and islands including Taiwan in the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco. But under the treaty the Nansei Shoto islands came under US trusteeship and were then returned to Japan in 1971, under the Okinawa reversion deal.

Japan says that China raised no objections to the San Francisco deal. And it says that it is only since the 1970s, when the issue of oil resources in the area emerged, that Chinese and Taiwanese authorities began pressing their claims.
What is China's claim?

China says that the Diaoyu islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, serving as important fishing grounds administered by the province of Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that this is "fully proven by history and is legally well-founded".

Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, after the Sino-Japanese war. When Taiwan was returned in the Treaty of San Francisco, China says the islands - as part of it - should also have been returned. But Beijing says Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek did not raise the issue, even when the Diaoyu islands were named in the later Okinawa reversion deal, because he depended on the US for support.

Separately, Taiwan also claims the islands.
Have there been incidents before?

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the issue should be shelved for future settlement and that the two sides should try to prevent it from becoming "a disturbing factor" in bilateral ties. There have nonetheless been sporadic incidents over the islands.

In 1996 a Japanese group established a lighthouse on one of the islands. Chinese activists then sailed repeatedly to the islands and in one incident, Hong Kong activist David Chan jumped into the sea and drowned. Since then, there have been periodic attempts by Chinese and Taiwanese activists to sail to the islands. In 2004, Japan arrested seven Chinese activists who landed on the main island.

There have also been face-offs between Japanese patrol boats and Chinese or Taiwanese fishing vessels. In 2005, 50 Taiwanese fishing boats staged a protest in the area, complaining of harassment by Japanese patrols.
So what next?

The Senkaku/Diaoyu issue complicates efforts by Japan and China to resolve a dispute over oil and gas fields in the East China Sea that both claim.

Amid the latest row, Beijing cancelled talks on the issue. Japan then said that China had brought equipment to a platform over the disputed fields, fuelling diplomatic tensions.

The dispute also has the potential to re-ignite anti-Japanese sentiment in China.

And it highlights the more robust attitude China has been taking to its territorial claims in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea in recent months.
 

SHASH2K2

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Japan warns against 'extreme nationalism' in row with China




TOKYO: Japan, mired in its worst standoff with China in years, warned on Tuesday that all sides must avoid "extreme nationalism" and stressed the wider region's need for Asia's two biggest powers to get along.

China has denounced the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain two weeks ago by Japan's coastguard, summoned Tokyo's ambassador six times, and called off several official visits and planned negotiations.

On the cultural front, China has now cancelled an invitation to about 1,000 Japanese youths to the World Expo in Shanghai, and ticket sales have abruptly stopped for two concerts at the Expo next month by Japanese pop band SMAP.

"What is more important than anything is that government officials in charge should be careful not to arouse narrow-minded, extreme nationalism in Japan, China and other countries," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said.

On Saturday, small groups of anti- Japan demonstrators protested in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, on the anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion of Manchuria.

Striking a conciliatory tone, Sengoku stressed that a healthy relationship between China and Japan, Asia's two biggest economies, was indispensable for regional growth.

"We want to use all possible channels not to escalate the issue and to solve it for the sake of development in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region," Japan's top government spokesman told a regular news conference.

In a similar vein, Japan's Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said: "We must not escalate this emotionally. We should stay cool-headed, not let this issue influence economic relations."

The flare-up started with the September 7 collisions of a Chinese fishing trawler and two Japanese coastguard vessels near a disputed island chain that lies in rich fishing grounds and near possible oil and gas fields.

Japan arrested the captain, Zhan Qixiong, 41, early the next day, citing its domestic law. On Sunday a court extended his detention until September 29, when he must be either indicted or released.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara on Sunday described the collisions as "gu-hatsuteki", a Japanese word which can be translated as incidental or unforeseen -- softer language than had been used before.

China has slammed the arrest as "illegal", and the dispute has highlighted broader tensions over the disputed island chain in the East China Sea, as a newly assertive Beijing flexes its diplomatic muscles.

China on Sunday threatened Japan with "strong counter-measures" after the boat captain's detention was extended.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao are both due at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York this week, but have no plans for direct talks, officials have said.

The two leaders are due to meet separately with US President Barack Obama, whose government has called on China and Japan to resolve the issue through dialogue.

US Vice President Joe Biden on Monday sent a warm message to long-time ally Japan, stressing that Washington's ties with Tokyo were at the centre of US foreign policy in Asia.

"There is an emerging relationship that we have to get right between the United States and China... frankly, I don't know how that relationship can be made right other than going through Tokyo," Biden said.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the flare-up was "unfortunate" in light of efforts by China and Japan to repair relations in recent years.


Read more: Japan warns against 'extreme nationalism' in row with China - The Times of India Japan warns against 'extreme nationalism' in row with China - The Times of India
 

Ray

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Japan will not be sitting pretty.

It is growing to become a big row and China will be up what the Americans say, sh*tcreek, since US is backing Japan.

China is aggressively exploiting the seas all around claiming it to be their's.

As if the world is their!
 

SHASH2K2

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Defence technology of Japan is much much advance than China. China is not in position to mess with Japan as Japanese naval forces are superior to them . I would love to see this issue escalate this tension further . It will give them taste of whats in future for them.
 

Ray

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Japan threatens build up of military forces amid rising tensions with China

The defence ministry is reported to be exploring plans to expand the size of the Japan's ground personnel by 13,000 troops – almost 10 per cent – as early as next year. The expansion would be the first in almost 40 years and come amid growing regional tensions, particularly in areas where China's navy is increasingly active.

The proposal – which is expected to be in Japan's new national defence programme that is compiled by the end of the year – also reportedly aims to help deal with terrorism threats and natural disasters. But it is the tense diplomatic stand off with China which is the more immediate backdrop. Japan and China are in dispute following the initial detention of the crew of a Chinese boat near disputed islands in the region. The captain of the boat is still under detention.......

China has halted senior government level contact between the two nations and yesterday ruled out a meeting between the two countries' leaders at the United Nations gathering in New York this week. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also warned other countries not to become involved: "We resolutely oppose any country which has no connection to the South China Sea getting involved in the dispute, and we oppose the internationalisation, multilateralisation or expansion of the issue. It cannot solve the problem, but make it more complicated.................

Japan has insisted meanwhile that its actions were legal. It has urged its powerful neighbour to resist fuelling nationalism. "What is most important is that government officials in Japan, China and other countries try not to fuel narrow-minded, extreme nationalism," Yoshito Sengoku, the chief secretary to the cabinet, told a news conference.

The proposal to increase Japan's ground force staff is likely to focus on southerly regions which are home to a string of disputed islands – including those at the heart of the current row – as well as underwater energy resources.

China's heavy investment in the modernisation of its military forces, in particular its navy, is also increasing Japanese concern.

Last month, the Pentagon warned in a report that China was extending its military advantage over Taiwan and beyond, with the creation of a force capable of striking as far afield as the US territory of Guam.

Earlier this year, China announced plans to raise its defence budget by 7.5 per cent to £51 billion.

Japan currently has around 140,000 members in the ground self-defence force with an approved maximum capacity of 155,000. The number of staff has been in decline since 1996, while the last rise in personnel levels took place in 1972 and involved a rise of only 1,000 staff to 180,000.

Hotting U!
It would be interesting to note that China wishes to portray that all what she does is perfectly correct and is only exercising her legitimate rights!!

This is another instance of Chinese hegemonic aspirations and South and South East Asian countries should take note and not be lulled by their double talk cooing which too she is capable of!!
 
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Ray

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China and Japan, the giants of Asia, account for nearly three-quarters of the region's economic activity and more than half of the region's military spending. Despite their deep economic ties and a doubling of their bilateral trade in the past five years, their relationship is increasingly strained, with dangerous implications for the United States and the world at large.

Historically, relations between Japan and China were clearly structured. One country was always more prosperous or powerful than the other. Before the nineteenth century, China was usually dominant; since the Meiji Restoration, in 1868, Japan has generally been preeminent. The prospect that China and Japan could both be powerful and affluent at the same time has only recently emerged, largely because while China's economy and influence have grown rapidly, Japan's have remained stagnant. China has nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and its military budget has grown by double-digit rates for 17 consecutive years. Although Japan has a relatively low military profile, with its "no-war" constitution and strong alliance with the United States, its defense-relevant technology is sophisticated and it has recently become more proactive. The stage is now set for a struggle between a mature power and a rising one.

Some liken current Sino-Japanese relations to the Anglo-German rivalry prior to World War I. As with the United Kingdom and Germany a century ago, the contest for regional leadership between China and Japan today is creating new security dilemmas, prompting concerns over Chinese ambitions in Japan and fears of renewed Japanese militarism in China. Both states are adopting confrontational stances, partly because of rising popular involvement in politics and resurgent nationalism exacerbated by revived memories of World War II; mutually beneficial economic dealings alone are not effectively soothing these tensions. Fluid perceptions of power and fear, Thucydides observed, are the classic causes of war. And they are increasingly present in Northeast Asia today.
 

SHASH2K2

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Now game is Asia is getting interesting . Over assertiveness of China is forcing countries to review their defence policies. China is almost axing their own feet. Japan can be their worst nightmare given the reputation of their war history and technological superiority. First India vietnam S korea and now Japan List of countries fed up with Chinese. now they are just increasing their Number and if it continues they may change their military doctrine as well.
 

SHASH2K2

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China Says No Meeting With Japan at U.N.


BEIJING — China broadened its show of diplomatic displeasure Tuesday over a territorial dispute with Japan by effectively scrapping the possibility that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao would meet his Japanese counterpart at the United Nations this week.

Speaking at a news briefing, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said it would be "inappropriate" for Mr. Wen to meet Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan at a United Nations conference in New York. Ms. Jiang said such a meeting should not take place until Japan releases the captain of a Chinese trawler who was detained by Japanese naval vessels this month.

The public rejection of any meeting amounted to a new display of anger by China, which on Sunday suspended many government contacts and other exchanges with Japan over the dispute.

"Japan holds the key to solving this problem," Ms. Jiang said. "The Japanese side should correctly understand the situation and return the captain immediately and unconditionally."

Japanese officials have said the trawler rammed two of their vessels off the uninhabited islands that Japan calls Senkaku and China calls Diaoyu, claimed by both countries. Chinese officials have said Japan purposefully caused the collision to underscore its opposition to the presence of Chinese ships. China is especially angry that the captain has been detained and is being investigated by Japanese law enforcement authorities on charges of obstructing officials from their work.

Boats from China and Taiwan have fished around the islands for many decades and occasionally come into conflict. In the past, the boats and crew were usually released with a warning. Some analysts say the issue might blow over on Sept. 29. That is the date when Japan must decide whether to formally charge the captain or release him. If he is charged, the issue could boil over in China — already, protests have taken place and Internet forums are full of anti-Japanese rhetoric.

"Japan will have to release the captain with a warning or something similar," said a Western diplomat based in Beijing who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the conflict. "It's hard to imagine them actually charging and trying him."

Sentiment in Japan, however, has hardened against China in recent years, with some calling for the country to resist a diplomatic solution and enforce its claims by applying Japanese law.

While Japan controls the islands, China draws on historical records to buttress its claim. The islands have been the scene of protests for several decades, with Chinese from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan claiming that Japan seized them in the 19th century and should have returned them after the end of World War II. Japan says the islands were not effectively controlled by anyone until it did so and were not part of agreements at the end of the war to strip it of territory acquired during its period of expansionism.

The most recent flare-up comes as China faces disputes with its neighbors to the south over control of islands in the South China Sea.

It has also objected to United States military exercises in the region and arms sales to Taiwan, which it also views as part of its territory.
 

SHASH2K2

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China's Premier Wen Jiabao enters Japan row

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has threatened "further action" against Japan unless it releases a Chinese sea captain, arrested in disputed waters.

In his first comment on the diplomatic row, Mr Wen said Japan bore full responsibility for the situation.

He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the captain, in order to bring bilateral relations between China and Japan back on track.

China says it will not meet Japanese leaders at a UN summit in New York.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a meeting between Mr Wen and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan on the sidelines of the summit would be inappropriate.

"The atmosphere is obviously not suitable for such a meeting," a spokesman said.
'Extreme nationalism'

The Chinese premier's comments were his first on the issue that has also prompted Beijing to suspend government-level contacts with Japan.

Mr Wen said that Tokyo "bears full responsibility for the situation, and it will bear all consequences".



Meanwhile Japan's chief cabinet secretary told reporters that the two nations should continue to strengthen their ties despite the row.

"If possible, it would be good to quickly hold high-level talks, including broad, strategic discussions," Yoshito Sengoku told reporters.

Japan has warned China that both nations must avoid stirring up "extreme nationalism" and says it wants to use all possible channels to avoid any further escalation.

The dispute began two weeks ago when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese patrol ships near uninhabited islands in the East China Sea which both countries claim, as does Taiwan.

The islands, which lie north of Taiwan and south of Japan's Okinawa prefecture, have rich fishing grounds and may have oil and gas deposits.

The boat's captain was arrested on suspicion of deliberately ramming the vessels.

When a Japanese court extended his detention on Sunday for a further 10 days, China severed senior level government contacts.

A small group of Hong Kong activists have now set sail for the islands - but it remains unclear whether Hong Kong authorities will allow them to leave Hong Kong waters.
 

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