Offshore territorial disputes loom large on the Asian maritime scene. The wrangle over the strategically important Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, usually gets the most media exposure. One of the longest running, and most contentious, of these disputes, though, is that over the Diaoyu (Senkaku) islands.
These islands are situated north of the Ryukyu Islands in the East China Sea, about 200 nautical miles west of the Chinese coastline. Their ownership history is complex, with sovereignty having long been disputed by Beijing and Tokyo, and, more recently, by Taipei as well. The islands have no permanent population, although a Japanese-owned fish processing plant, with as many as 200 workers, was active there for more than 40 years prior to 1940.
Japan claimed the islands in 1895, after defeating China in the Sino- Japanese war. Following the defeat of Japan in World War Two, the United States controlled the Diaoyus, before handing them back to Japan in 1972.
In 1971, though, in anticipation of the American move, both China and Taiwan had laid claim.
The islands, although of little obvious value in themselves, abut significant undersea oil and gas resources in the East China Sea. Rights to these resources have for years been the cause of much acrimony between China and Japan, particularly as both nations have increasingly ravenous appetites for energy.
They have become symbols of national sovereignty, and prestige, for many citizens of China, (including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Japan and Taiwan. The past three decades have seen many incidents, including confrontations between both government and unofficial vessels of the three claimant nations, activist groups landing on the islands, and the positioning of unofficial markers and beacons. There has been at least one death, that of a Hong Kong activist who drowned off the islands in 1996.
The most recent incident, on September 7 saw a Chinese fishing boat, 'Minjinyu 5179', in confrontation with the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) patrol vessels 'Yonakuni' and 'Mizuki'. The Chinese craft, one of about 150 such vessels that Japanese sources say were operating in the area at the time, was reportedly in collision with both JCG ships, and media coverage showed damage on the hull of 'Mizuki'.
The captain of 'Minjinyu 5179', and 14 crewmembers were subsequently arrested and taken to the Japanese port of Ishigaki. All were later released. There has been no corroboration of reports, which appeared in some sections of the Japanese media alleging that the arrestees were actually Chinese naval personnel.
This incident was reportedly followed by diplomatic moves, including delays in the issues of visas, and export permits, as well as by public demonstrations, in Japan, China and Taiwan. The apprehension and questioning of four Japanese citizens by the local authorities in China's Hebei province was widely believed to have been carried out in retaliation for the Diaoyu incident. Hong Kong marine police stopped vessels carrying activists from embarking on trips to the islands.
The weeks following the Diaoyu confrontation have seen a number of Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese vessels sent to the vicinity of the islands, in order to back up their respective governments' claims. Most potent of the newly deployed assets is the modern 1,400-tonne JCG patrol ship Hateruma, which is equipped with a 30mm. Bushmaster cannon, and a large flight deck, with helicopter refuelling facilities. Patrol ships 'Yuzheng 201' and 'Yuzheng 204' of China's Fisheries Law Enforcement Command have maintained a high operational profile, sometimes shadowing the JCG ships.
Taipei, for its part, despatched a flotilla of Taiwan Coast Guard Administration vessels to accompany a boatload of Taiwanese activists to within about 20 nautical miles of the Diaoyus.
The recent upping of the ante over the disputed island group is the latest manifestation of rising regional tensions over offshore sovereignty issues. Increasing American concerns over Beijing's regional maritime ambitions, as evidenced by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's recent statement warning against the use of force by territorial claimants in the South China Sea, may be a factor, as these statements may have emboldened China's regional maritime rivals.
Also, the recent discovery, by a China-linked British oil exploration company, of significant hydrocarbon deposits under the East China Sea, may have caught the attention of the Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese administrations.
Tensions over Diaoyus may be about to rise still further, though. In early October, there was speculation in the Japanese press that the United States and Japan were planning to hold a joint exercise in November, in the vicinity of the islands. According to the reports, the exercise is to be timed to follow US President Barak Obama's visit to Japan for the meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum, and the scenario will be a response to a notional seizure by Chinese forces of the Diaoyus.
Washington has not so far commented on these reports, but a US spokeswoman recently confirmed, in response to media questioning on the topic, the American view that the Diaoyu Islands fall within the remit of the 1960 US-Japan Treaty on Mutual Co-operation and Security, because they have been under Japanese administrative control since 1972. If such an exercise were indeed to take place, it would probably provoke a strong reaction from Beijing.
Trevor Hollingsbee
