Danielle Koeber

Intro to International Studies

China vs. Japan: Who Has the Rights to Claim the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
Controversy in Asia continues due to the recent tensions rising between China and Japan

produced by Japanese accusations against the Chinese navy for “locking weapons-targeting

radar” on Japanese destroyers and a helicopter while located in the East China Sea during the

month of January. Although Chinese officials reject these Japanese claims, the dispute gives

further insight to underlying problems between the two countries concerning the land claims

over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands located in the East China Sea off the northeastern coast of

Taiwan which are rich in natural resources. This issue illuminates the economic benefits for the

country that is able to claim the disputed territory and it is understandable as to why both Japan

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and China are exercising their political strengths explaining why the territory belongs solely to

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their country through treaties and other government documentation. The geographical location of

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the islands contributes to the controversy because of the economic benefits that could be
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produced from exacting natural resources from the area as well as its spatial relationship to

China and Taiwan.

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At the center of this conflict, the countries of Taiwan, China, and Japan are the major
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state actors that are contending for territorial claims. This territorial debate has been occurring
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within this region for centuries. The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on April 17 th, 1895,
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which brought an end to the Sino-Japanese war between China and Japan which detailed

Japanese victory over Taiwan, the Pescadores, and the Liaodong Peninsula of southern
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Manchuria (). In 1943, at the Cairo Conference in Egypt, China became part of the fight against
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the Axis power nations during World War II where it was determined that at Japan would have to
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surrender the areas of Manchuria, Formosa Taiwan, Korea, the Pescadores, and all of the other

Pacific Islands that Japan had conquered or acquired since 1914. At the end of World War II

these conditions were proposed in the Treaty of San Francisco that was signed on November 8,

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 Danielle Koeber
Intro to International Studies
China vs. Japan: Who Has the Rights to Claim the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
1951 between the United States and Japan which granted Japan full sovereignty but removed all

of the Japanese land claims gained after 1895. It was also declared by the Postsdam Conference

in 1945 that Japan had to return all land that it conquered from China during World War II.

However, Japan establishes that the Senkaku Islands were not included. Due to

misunderstandings of these treaties and land relinquishments, both nation states feel that they

have claims over these disputed islands.

It is important for countries around the world to contribute to the global economy. China

is considered one of the super powers that are mass producers of cheap goods and services. The

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Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shows that based on sector, China’s economy is mostly

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concentrated on industry, 46.6 percent, and services, 43.7 percent, as estimated in 2012 (CIA

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Factbook). However, China remains being the world leader in agricultural output by exporting
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products such as rice, wheat, potatoes corn apples, cotton, and fish. With this extensive

expansion comes issues of allocation and use of natural resources. The area in question is rich in
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natural resources such as oil and fish which are natural resources that are being depleted in Asia
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and worldwide. In order to compensate for the need of resources, China has looked to other areas
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close to its borders and has extended its sovereignty over places such as the Scarborough Reef
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and the Spartly Islands.

Why is the area known for territorial claims and conflicts? The East China Sea is a body
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of water that touches several countries such as mainland China, Taiwan, the southern Islands of
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Japan, and also the Yellow Sea to the north. Along the island of Taiwan and the coast of
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southeastern China, the geographic lay out created large harbors, coves, and bays which have

helped to make this a major shipping area (“East China Sea”). The East China Sea forms a

continental shelf when it touches the Chinese coast and

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 Danielle Koeber
Intro to International Studies
China vs. Japan: Who Has the Rights to Claim the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
The main part of the East China Sea along the Chinese coast forms a continental shelf with a depth of no more than 

656 feet. It is a rich fishing ground that attracts Japanese fleets. The sea has a rocky coastline with many coves and 

bays. China's longest and most important waterway, the Yangzi River (Changjiang), empties into the East China Sea

China asserts sovereign ty over Scarbo rough Reef along wi th the Philippines and Taiwan , and ove r the

Spra tly Islands togethe r wi th Malaysia, the Philippines, Tai wan, Vietnam, and Brunei

Vie tnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spra tlys and in March 2005, the

national oil companies of China , the Philippines, and Vie tnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic

activi ties in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam

and Tai wan; China and Taiwan continue to reject bo th Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of

Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilate rally decla red equidistance line in the East China Sea ,

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the si te of intensive hydrocarbon explora tion and exploi tation

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