Amid row with Japan, why Chinese Coast Guard sailed near contentious Senkaku Islands

Among these responses from China, meant to drive home Taiwan’s significance to the country, the Senkaku Islands have a long and contentious history. Here is what to know.

What is the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands issue?

The islands are referred to as the “Senkaku”, the “Diaoyu”, and the “Diaoyutai” by Japan, China and Taiwan, respectively, with Japan administering them. They are located in the East China Sea, close to China, Taiwan and Japan, and claimed by all three.

Senkaku Islands. (The New York Times)

Comprising five small islands and some rocks, they are uninhabited. The biggest of the islands, Uotsuri, covers only 1.4 square miles, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Their importance lies in that they are believed to be sitting atop hydrocarbon resources, although they have yet to be extracted. Some attempts by the countries to engage in resource extraction around the region have sparked protests from the others, because, beyond the issue of resources, the claims are seen as a way of asserting sovereignty.

Another factor affecting the issue is Japan and China’s complex bilateral relationship. Japan’s colonising attempts, attacks during the World Wars and other historical aggressions remain sensitive issues in both countries, especially among nationalist groups. While China demands that Japan acknowledge those historical incidents and even issue formal apologies, Japan has often refused to do so. Under Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both countries are currently headed by leaders who support nationalistic sentiments.

How did Japan come to administer the Senkaku Islands?

Historically, Japan assumed control of Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands in 1895, after winning the first Sino-Japanese War.

According to the Japanese government, it had conducted surveys of the area since 1885. It said, “Through these surveys, it was confirmed that the Senkaku Islands had not only been uninhabited but also showed no trace of having been under the control of the Qing Dynasty of China”, which was China’s last imperial kingdom. On January 14, 1895, the Japanese government decided to erect markers on the islands to formally incorporate them into the territory of Japan.

China and Taiwan, on the other hand, cite old navigation books and maps showing that the islands were under the Chinese dynasties. One commentator wrote in Xinhua, China’s official news agency, that “After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Taiwan and its affiliated islands, including the Diaoyu Islands, were illegally occupied by Japan.”

With Japan’s loss in the Second World War in 1945, the United States gained control under the 1951 Treaty of Peace. The US EIA states that in 1969, a UN body’s report indicated potential hydrocarbon deposits in the waters around the Senkaku Islands, reigniting interest in the area.

In 1971, the US and Japan signed the Okinawa Reversion Agreement, which returned the Senkaku Islands and Okinawa to Japanese administration. China and Taiwan both protested the treaty, but Japan insists that they have no claims to the islands.

What is the current status of the Senkaku dispute?

All countries have continued making their claims over the years, and the issue flares up periodically. In 2012, for instance, the Japanese government bought three of the islands, which had been sold to a family of local entrepreneurs in 1932, back from their owners.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post, this resulted in demonstrations against Japan across mainland China, targeting Japanese products and outlets. “Thousands of protesters laid siege to the Japanese embassy in Beijing, throwing bottles and rocks,” it said.