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© Thomson Reuters 2023.China, Japan coast guards face off again near disputed islands
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© Thomson Reuters 2023.
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Moonraker
China has an extreme credibility problem so it's easy to discount whatever they said.
zones2surf
Until Japan develops a backbone and defends its territories with force, #CCPChina will view Japan as spineless weakling.
CCPChina only understands one language.... power & force!Stephen Chin
Geography Lesson:
Diaoyu? Yes ! There is an island called Diaoyu! And It Belongs to China!
Senkaku? No ! There is no island called Senkaku! It is called Diaoyu!
And it belongs to China!
voiceofokinawa
What a tragedy! If these barren islands were China's genuine sovereign territories, the Chinese coast guard ships have every right to do what they did. But are the islands China's genuine territories in light of history and international law?
It was Chen Kwan(1489-1538), an accredited Chinese royal envoy who came to Ryukyu in 1534 to crown a king under a tributary system. It was he who first documented the name Diaoyudao in his "Emissary's Record of Ryukyu", a document and a travelogue he submitted to the Chinese Emperor. (See Nobuo Harada: "The Senkaku Islands: Reading Chinese Emissary's Documentation of Ryukyu."
Apparently, he had Ryukyu seamen aboard the same tributary ship explained the detail about the island chain. In the local vernacular, the island was called either Yukun or Iigun meaning "fish island". The /yu/ or /ii/ in these words mean "fish"; /kun/ or /gun/ is a suffix usually attached to place names as in 阿波根 /ahagun/, 比屋根 /hiyagun/, 手登根 /tidukun/, 宮国 /mya:gun/, etc. You know the waters around the island have been known rich fishing grounds to this day.
Chen Kwan must have thought of the famous historical site of Diaoyucheng back home in China when he heard about the description of the island's name from accompanying Ryukyu seamen and so recorded it as Diaoyudao after this historical site.
There is a lot of room for speculation about the origin and history of the island's name. It boils down that China cannot lay claim to the island chain solely on the basis of Chen Kwan's documentation.
If the Chinese coast ships keep doing what they are doing in the relevant waters, they will never fail to make a fool of themselves someday.
Mark
Keep Talking Boys and Girls, the alternative is UGLY.
WiseOneIn Kansai
China has no shame!!!
Most of the region has no respect but only distrust for the CCP government.
Just last week, the CCP renewed their pledge for the 45th anniversary of a bilateral friendship treaty with Japan.
How 2 faced can you get??
Jayszee
Stephen Chin chin
Geography Lesson:
Diaoyu? Yes ! There is an island called Diaoyu! And It Belongs to China!
Senkaku? No ! There is no island called Senkaku! It is called Diaoyu!
And it belongs to China!
You've got to be kidding me.
Hello Kitty 321
When the Japanese Prime Minister, Tanaka Kakue, visited China in 1972 to normalize relations between the two countries it was agreed that the question of ownership of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands should be shelved. However, during a visit to America in 2012, the rightwing governor of Tokyo, Ishihara Shintaro, gave a speech at the Heritage Foundation in which he unilaterally announced Tokyo's intention to purchase the islands. It is hardly surprising that the Chinese were upset by this about face.
WiseOneIn Kansai
@ Hello Kitty
It is hardly surprising that all of the countries in the South China Seas are upset by this 2 faced comment from Xi!!
Fredrik
Does it matter what corrupt politician claims to be the owner of the land? The whole concept of someone claiming land is obsolete. The earth belongs to everyone!
Nibek32
China claims they own everything, when they in fact do not.
They must be very frustrated they can’t control the narrative outside of China, because they are pretty much perceived as criminal, aggressive cheating liars and everyone just assumes the opposite of what they say.
They just continue to isolate themselves while their economy has basically collapsed. I was just there and it is bleak.
OssanAmerica
The media needs to stop constantly including "called Diaoyu in China" in devery article involving the Senkakus. All it does is legitimize their illegal claim. China has been free to take the dispute to the ICJ for decades but won't.
theFu
Where was the Taiwanese Coast Guard? If they sided with Japan against China, that would send a clearer message.
Taiwan needs to make a choice on these islands. Are they worth alienating Japan and siding with China over or not? Taiwan is the lynch pin on this.
OssanAmerica
No country is more "Right Wing" than China.
China got upset because the J-govt purchased 2 of the islands from their Japanese owners. China could have bought them if they wanted to. Most importantly, one of the 5 islands was already owned by the J-govt.
China simply used the "nationlization" as an excuse to trigger their loud illegal claim. China's behavior was the only farce.
voiceofokinawa
The Kyodo News today reports that there are three Chinese coast guard ships still in the waters of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
No wonder that the Japanese public opinion has stiffened against China and so seem to be reticent about the conservative government's pursing of deja vu militarism.
To our chagrin, China is encouraging Japan to remilitarize despite itself.