China and Japan Border Conflict Essay Example

The current China and Japan border conflict is primarily over a set of islands known as Diaoyu by China or Senkaku by Japan. The group consists of eight unoccupied islands located in the East China Sea. The area is considered close to vital shipping lanes and lies near potential gas and oil reserves in addition to being rich fishing grounds. Moreover, the area is said to be strategically positioned amid the rising military primacy competition between China and the US in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, the area is controlled by Japan and was incorporated by the country in 1895 based on the fact that it was terra nullius and not under the Qing Empire's control. After World War II, the islands were passed to the US and have arguably been under Japanese administration since 1972. China first challenged Japanese sovereignty over the islands in the 1970s claiming ownership of the land before its incorporation by Japan. Consequently, a conflict arose with each of the two countries claiming ownership based on historical reasons.

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According to Japan, in the 19th century, it surveyed the islands for ten years before determining that there were no inhabitants. As a result, Japan erected a sovereignty indicator in 1895 that led to the formal integration of the islands into Japanese land. In the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco, Japan relinquished entitlements to several islands and territories including Taiwan, but the islands were later returned to Japan in 1971 after being under US trusteeship. Japan claims that China did not raise any objections to the 1951 Treaty and only began making ownership claims after the area was linked to possible oil reserves.

On the other hand, China holds that historically, the said islands have formed part of Chinese territory providing important fishing grounds under the administration of Taiwan. In the 1895 Shimonoseki Treaty, Taiwan was ceded to Japan after the China-Japanese war. Therefore, according to China, during the giving back of Taiwan in the San Francisco Treaty, the set of islands should also have been surrendered. Beijing argues that Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan's Kuomintang leader failed to raise the issue back then because he primarily depended on support from the US.

Conclusion

As a result of these contradictory arguments, the two countries have engaged in a border conflict for decades. However, in April 2012, a fresh row ensued after a Japanese governor said he would purchase the islands from their private Japanese owner using public money. This led the Japanese government to reach a deal to buy the islands a move that angered China eliciting diplomatic and public protests. After the event, Chinese ships have frequently sailed across what Japan claims to be its territorial waters. Also, in 2013, the Chinese government proclaimed the establishment of an air-defense identification zone requiring all aircrafts in the area, including the islands, to comply with Beijing rules. Nonetheless, Japan termed the move as a unilateral escalation that would be ignored by the Japanese government in the same way the US did.