Posted on 08/20/2012 12:13:23 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Anti-Japanese demonstrations spread to more than 20 cities in China Sunday, as Tokyo dismissed China's opposition to Japanese activists landing on disputed islands in East China Sea.
Chinese demonstrators waved national flags and chanted angry slogans as they protested the arrest of Chinese activists who landed last week in the islands known as Senkaku in Japan and as Diaoyu in China. In some cities, protesters vandalized Japanese made vehicles and clashed with police who tried to restrain them.
Earlier Sunday, a group of 10 Japanese activists, including local lawmakers, swam ashore and unfurled Japanese flags on one of the disputed islands after a flotilla carrying about 150 people sailed to the disputed archipelago.
The Chinese foreign ministry issued a "strong protest against the landing. Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa rejected the protest and urged Beijing to protect Japanese property in Chinese cities from vandalism.
Both China and Japan claim sovereignty over the uninhabited islands in an area potentially rich in natural resources.
Taiwan also claims the maritime territory and its foreign ministry protested the Japanese activists landing on Sunday.
Japanese authorities have deported 14 residents of Hong Kong and mainland China who were arrested after traveling to one of the islands last week and planting a Chinese flag there while singing China's national anthem.
The disputed islands were administered by the United States from the end of World War Two until they were transferred back to Japan in 1972. In addition to being located in an area thought to have large reserves of natural gas, the islands are also a source of national pride in both Japan and China.
Funny that this seems to be overlooked in most of the articles I've read. It seems that China started this whole thing, but is trying to blame Japan.
China went first this time, but the Japanese were already planning more serious moves to bring the Sankaku Islands under their control. There was talk of actual permanent structures.
That’s probably what set off the Chinese protests, which in turn drew a Japanese response. But it could also be spontaneously summer idiocy on both sides of the fence. Right now, it serves China’s purpose to let the people yell and scream — And it makes Japan uncomfortable... which they consider a slight win in their favor and worth the trouble.
These things can get out of hand, though. Japanese nationalists might pick up the gauntlet. That would be noisy. Sound trucks could parade again, but there are a lot more Chinese in Japan than there used to be and its virtually certain they all support China’s stance.
Lots of variables... Could get very sticky, and Tokyo’s summer is brutally hot as well.
China is claiming the entire China Sea as their own because it has the word “China” in it. If that claim ever held up then who would own the Indian Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico?
I know the following for a fact, and apologize in advance if anyone is offended, but the Japanese feel they are the “whites” of Asia, and the other races are the niggers. The chinese are fully aware of this and resent the Japanese for their “superior” attitude... amongst other things.
The Chinese have been looking forward to payback since the rape of Nanking. Any excuse will do.
It seems to me that most Asians feel that way about themselves in Asia. The Vietnamese feel superior to the Chinese, the Koreans feel superior to others, etc. However, with the large numbers of Chinese, it would appear the Chinese have the upper hand in declaring themselves superior. (I do tend to agree with you regarding the Japanese, they seem to be far more advanced culturally and in science.)
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