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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| No War Drums Yet in the Pacific |
| 2012-08-23 |
| Haven't seen much about this here in the "Burg, so thought I would toss it in. Good background and what is going on Despite the unceasing calls for my sage advice regarding the drumbeats of war between China and Japan over the Senkaku (Diaoyutai) Islands, I have refrained from weighing in. This undoubtedly regrettable vacuum has been filled, however, by dozens of Asia-watchers, running the gamut from those calling for sterner measures, to those dismissing it all (in the infamous words of General Taylor in Good Morning, Vietnam) as "a tempest in a teacup, much ado about nothing; for crying out loud, man, this isn't brain surgery." Indeed, the Senkakus tiff isn't brain surgery, but neither is it Sunday tea with Auntie. It's old fashioned elbow-throwing on the basketball court. It's a bit of pushing and shoving to see if your man gives some room, or backs down. The islands, located just off the northeastern tip of Taiwan, are claimed by Tokyo, Peking, and Taipei. They have been administered, however, by Japan since 1972, as part of the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese control by the U.S. They are strategically significant as part of a chain of control for sealing off the East China Sea from the western Pacific Ocean, which Peking fears would keep it blocked from the global commons; they also sit on top of enormous undersea oil and gas deposits, which both Japan and China are actively trying to explore and develop. The latest contretemps has followed older scripts: A group of Hong Kong, Chinese, and Macau activists sailed to the islands to mark the Japanese surrender in World War II, and were arrested by the Japanese Coast Guard (a fine force, by the way) on August 15. Peking demanded their release, and after a few days, Tokyo expelled them all. This was then followed by a group of Japanese activists who briefly landed there before themselves being kicked off by Japanese authorities. Protests broke out in both countries, demanding that their respective governments assert control over the tiny territory. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #1 Don't fergit SAKHALIN. A good Artic as usual from NRO, but it denotes little or nothing that wasn't already known, realized, or considered times before. Many Chinese Politicos, Pert Analysts or Academics, + ordinary Bloggers-Netters want China = Beijing to start acting like the "inevitable", "post-US" Global Superpower it wants to be. These as well as many of their Asian regional counterparts believe that their Nations-States cannot expand their power + influence to newfound heights unless these historical disputes are settled once and for all. In NE Asia, China desires unfettered or unchallenged access into WESTPAC vee Taiwan + Okinawa-PHIL Straits - it wants Okinawa per se and the Daoyus [Japan = Senkakus] to guard the strategic approaches to its future PLA Milbases on Taiwan. This is why China supporst both Okinawa separatism or local autonomy from Tokyo, in in alternate major Chinese-specific Base, Trade rights to a Japanese-controlled Okinawa. HOWEVER, AT THE MOMENT CHINA'S EFFORTS TO FORMALLY REUNIFY WID TAIWAN HAS STALLED, WHILE NE ASIA RIVAL JAPAN IS STEADFASTLY REFUSING TO GIVE UP ITS SOVEREIGNTY TO OKINAWA AND THE CHINESE-CLAIMED SENKAKUS. Not unlike many other ambitious Nations-States or Societies in the past - East or West, North or South - China wants its perceived "Manifest Destiny" ASAP AMAP ALAP, + is NOT willing to wait several or many decades or centuries to do so. The above + the establishment of US-led Missle Shields throughout East Asia has induced ambitious China to move away from its historical "soft power/diplomacy" startegy to one that is PLA-led, + more aggressive iff not MilPOl belligerent. ----------- * WORLD NEWS > SERIOUS ISLAND NEGOTIATIONS LONG OVERDUE. [KELLY "THE HELL YOU SAY" BUNDY here]. * SAME > ISLAND DISPUTE SHOW JAPANESE WARY OF CHINESE TERRITORIAL AMBITIONS. * SAME > JAPAN MUST BOOST JCG [Japan Coast Guard]POWER TO CONTROL SENKAKU ISLANDS, to includ JCG coordination wid Police. * REAL CLEAR POLITICS > THE SINO-JAPANESE NAVAL WAR OF 2012. As per Mil Assets = capabilities in NON-NUCLEAR CONVENTIONAL WAR, JAPAN is more likely to prevail militarily although CHINA is expected to make it a hard fight. * SAME > SOUTH KOREA REJECTS JAPAN PROPOSAL TO HAVE ICJ RESOLVE DISPUTE OVER [Dokdo]ISLANDS. * SAME > THUCYDIDE'S TRAP HAS BEEN SPRUNG IN THE PACIFIC. * CHINA POST > [Commentary] TO SETTLE A DISPUTE, ONE MUST FIRST ADMIT IT EXISTS. Yuuuuppp - 'tis an Oldie, but definitely a Mustie. Also from CHINA POST + JAPAN UNWAVERING IN FACE OF CHINESE PROTESTS. * CHINA DAILY > RUSSIA, CHINA SAY WE ARE UNITED IN OUR VIEW OF WESTERN AGGRESSION. Deliberate or intentional bypassing [unilateral] of the UN role by the US-NATO/EU is "impermissable". |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-08-24 00:09 |