Tension in China heats up over disputed uninhabited islands with Japan;

[Hexen]

Anti-Japan protests erupt in China over disputed islands



Beijing (CNN) -- Thousands of Chinese protesters hurled bottles and eggs outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Saturday amid growing tensions between the two nations over a group of disputed islands.

Waving Chinese national flags and holding portraits of the late Chairman Mao Zedong, the mostly young protesters chanted "down with Japanese imperialism" and called for war as they made their way down the streets under the watchful eyes of police and guards.

Elsewhere in China, anti-Japanese rallies broke out in dozens of cities and sometimes turned violent. Messages and photos posted on Chinese social media sites showed angry mobs in numerous cities ransacking Japanese stores and restaurants as well as smashing and burning cars of Japanese make.
Japanese media also reported incidents of assault on Japanese nationals in China in the past few days. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman insisted Friday that the public anger was not aimed at the Japanese people, whose safety would be protected in China according to law.

Authorities rarely permit protests in China, prompting suspicion that Saturday's nationwide rallies were government-sanctioned. In Beijing, police walking along the demonstrators were seen to ask spectators to join in instead of blocking the street.

By Saturday night, China's state-run media had started appealing for restraint, running commentaries that condemned violence and lectured the public on the true meaning of patriotism. In a sign of rising concern over the gathering of large crowds, authorities in cities that had seen the most ferocious protests canceled entertainment and sporting events.

Tensions escalated Friday when Chinese maritime surveillance ships ignored warnings from Japan and briefly entered waters around the group of islands at the center of the heated territorial dispute.

The ships arrived near the uninhabited islands -- which Japan calls Senkaku and China calls Diaoyu -- and began patrols and "law enforcement," China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The islands, situated in the East China Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan, are under Japanese control, but China claims they have been a part of its territory for ages.

The long-running argument over who has sovereignty has triggered protests in both nations.

The United States,a key ally of Japan, has repeatedly urged Tokyo and Beijing to resolve the dispute through dialogue. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will meet with his counterparts in Japan and China this weekend, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

Chinese vessels had all left the waters by Friday afternoon and headed north, the Japanese Coast Guard said.
Japan said it will intensify patrols of the area.

The controversial Chinese move to begin patrols around the islands follows Japan's purchase of several of the islands from a private owner this week. China described the deal as "illegal and invalid."

Animosity between the two countries over the islands runs deep.

They have come to represent what many Chinese see as unfinished business: redressing the impact of the Japanese occupation of large swathes of eastern China during the 1930s and 1940s.

China says its claim goes back hundreds of years. Japan says it saw no trace of Chinese control of the islands in an 1885 survey, so formally recognized them as Japanese sovereign territory in 1895.

Japan then sold the islands in 1932 to descendants of the original settlers. The Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 only served to cloud the issue further.

The islands were administered by the U.S. occupation force after the war. But in 1972, Washington returned them to Japan as part of its withdrawal from Okinawa.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120915072321-china-japan-protest-story-top.jpg



Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/world/asia/china-japan-islands/index.html?hpt=ias_c1


Chinese ships carry out patrols around islands at center of dispute with Japan



Tokyo (CNN) -- Six Chinese maritime surveillance ships briefly entered waters around a group of islands at the center of a heated territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, ignoring warnings from the Japanese authorities amid escalating tensions in the region.

The Chinese ships arrived near the uninhabited islands -- which Japan calls Senkaku and China calls Diaoyu -- on Friday morning and began patrols and "law enforcement," China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The islands, situated in the East China Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan, are currently under Japanese control, but China claims they have been an "inherent" part of its territory "since ancient times." The long-running argument over who has sovereignty has resulted in occasionally violent acts of public protest.

The United States,a key ally of Japan, has repeatedly urged Tokyo and Beijing to resolve the dispute through dialogue. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will meet with his counterparts in Japan and China during a visit to the region that begins this weekend, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

The Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters Friday despite warnings from the Japanese Coast Guard, said Shinichi Gega, a spokesman for Japan's 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.

The vessels had all left the waters by mid-afternoon and headed north, the Japanese Coast Guard said later Friday, noting that sea in the area was getting rough as a huge storm, Super Typhoon Sanba, approached from the south.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Japan would intensify its own patrols of the area in response to what he described as an "unprecedented scale of invasion" of Japanese waters.

Tokyo has protested the "inappropriate, illegal act" to the Chinese authorities, Fujimura said.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Japan would "take all possible measures to ensure security" around the islands.

Two of the Chinese ships responded to a Japanese Coast Guard vessel's warning by reiterating China's territorial claim to the islands and saying they were carrying out patrol work, according to Gega. Japanese ships and helicopters are continuing their own patrols of the area, he said.

The controversial Chinese move to begin patrols around the islands follows the Japanese government's purchase of several of the islands from a private Japanese owner earlier this week, a deal that China described as "illegal and invalid."

The purpose of the patrols is "to demonstrate China's jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets and ensure the country's maritime interests," Xinhua reported Friday, citing a government statement.

This week, China announced what it said were the boundaries of its territorial waters around the islands to back up its claim of sovereignty. It said it had filed a copy of the announcement with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to comply with international law.

But Fujimura insisted Friday that the islands are an "integral part of Japanese territory" under international law, highlighting how directly opposed the two sides are.

Animosity between the two countries over the islands runs deep.

They have come to represent what many Chinese people see as unfinished business: redressing the impact of the Japanese occupation of large swathes of eastern China during the 1930s and 1940s.

China says its claim goes back hundreds of years. Japan says it saw no trace of Chinese control of the islands in an 1885 survey, so formally recognized them as Japanese sovereign territory in 1895.

Japan then sold the islands in 1932 to descendants of the original settlers. The Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 only served to cloud the issue further.

The islands were administered by the U.S. occupation force after the war. But in 1972, Washington returned them to Japan as part of its withdrawal from Okinawa.

Tokyo's diplomatic corps suffered an unexpected setback Thursday when the newly appointed Japanese ambassador to China, Shinichi Nishimiya, collapsed in Tokyo and was hospitalized just two days after he was named to the post.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/14/world/asia/china-japan-islands-dispute/index.html?hpt=ias_c2

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/graphics/2012/0903-weekly/0903-boneweek-briefing-senkaku-islands/13576382-1-eng-US/0903-BONEWEEK-BRIEFING-Senkaku-Islands_full_600.jpg

[Positivist]

Why?

[bricolage]

very disturbing.
http://imgur.com/a/Y7oIp

[Rafiq]

For them, it isn't just about the islands. It's an expression of an old, hatred for the Japanese, which is actualizing itself over the islands. Of course, nationalist hatred cannot be justified, but both China and Korea have had a nasty history with the Japanese state, particularly during world war two where the most atrocious of crimes were committed against the populations. These incidents were not forgotten. I have a south korean friend, whom is educated, who tells me of his hatred for Japan in such a.... Passionite manner, frequently, when the subject of Japan is brought up.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[Rafiq]

also, don't forget the uprising in China after wwi when the japanese claimed a city in china as their territory

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[Os Cangaceiros]

very disturbing.
http://imgur.com/a/Y7oIp (http://www.anonym.to/?http://imgur.com/a/Y7oIp)

good fucking god

Normally I'd be thrilled to see some nice riot porn like that, but the motives behind it are just so vile and moronic.

Especially those car dealership employees, smiling and waving while holding a sign that says that they'll kill every Japanese person. :rolleyes:

[RedHal]

For them, it isn't just about the islands. It's an expression of an old, hatred for the Japanese, which is actualizing itself over the islands. Of course, nationalist hatred cannot be justified, but both China and Korea have had a nasty history with the Japanese state, particularly during world war two where the most atrocious of crimes were committed against the populations. These incidents were not forgotten. I have a south korean friend, whom is educated, who tells me of his hatred for Japan in such a.... Passionite manner, frequently, when the subject of Japan is brought up.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

The Japanese refuse to acknowledge most of the attrocities, and if they do it's only a halfassed apology. FFS, members of their ruling party still visits the Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to convicted war criminals. Imagine politicians from the ruling German party paying tributes to Nazi war criminals....

[Juche]

The Japanese refuse to acknowledge most of the attrocities, and if they do it's only a halfassed apology. FFS, members of their ruling party still visits the Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to convicted war criminals. Imagine politicians from the ruling German party paying tributes to Nazi war criminals....

The Japanese won't acknowledge their crimes against humanity because no one made them. The USA let them off the hook in WW2 for information.
Not to mention, the USA didn't care about the lives of the Chinese.

There is a nice documentary about Unit 731 if you haven't already seen it.

[Os Cangaceiros]

There is a nice documentary about Unit 731 if you haven't already seen it.

"Philosophy of a Knife"?

[Juche]

"Philosophy of a Knife"?

Not that one but I'm interested in watching that one.

I think the one I watched was called "The Horror of UNIT 731".
There was also another shorter documentary called "Japan's Dirty Secret".

[piet11111]

Unit 731 that is the one with biological weapons research right ?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Yeah, the human experimentation shit etc.

A few movies have been made about it, another rather infamous one is "Men Behind the Sun", a Hong Kong exploitation film.

[Os Cangaceiros]

and "Black Sun" (not a film about 713, just another "evil Japanese war crime" movie

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm107073928/black-sun-nanking-massacre-dvd-cover-art.jpg

[#FF0000]

Um. (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/china-japan-heading-towards-war-says-us-defence-secretary-leon-panetta/story-e6frg6so-1226475484583)

[piet11111]

Panetta would be the one to know as he represents the country that is doing everything it can to stoke tensions.

[James Connolly]

We are ironically having pro-China protests in the USA too.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/15/2994122/chinese-americans-protest-over.html

[Rafiq]

What really pisses people off, from most Asian countries, is the fact that, on top of the fact that Japan committed atrocious crimes against their populace, to this day, Japan refuses to apologize or even acknowledge their crimes. This nonsense about the islands merely, for them, crossed the line.

[Tim Cornelis]

FFS, members of their ruling party still visits the Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to convicted war criminals. Imagine politicians from the ruling German party paying tributes to Nazi war criminals....

Their religion obliges them to 'pay tribute' to all ancestors. Them doing this is not evidence of any sympathies for war crimes. It may seem strange to us, but you have to understand differences in custom and culture.

[citizen of industry]

Visiting Yasakuni is controversial here. Right-wing politicians do it. There are always large groups of protesters at the shrine and fascists counter-demonstrating every year. The museum is pretty good in terms of artifacts, but it takes the line of the greater east asia co-prosperity sphere agaunst US imperialism. There is a room with kamikaze letters that is quite sad, and the book of the war dead is there.

Many if the teachers unions refuse to sing the national anthem or have their students do it, and they fight for revision of the textbooks. The latter especially in Okinawa. The slogan of the union Nikkyoso since 1946 is "Never send our children to war again."However, the mayors of both Tokyo and Osaka are right-wing. The mayor of Tokyo has been very vocal in favor of annexing the Senkaku islands, with ridiculous plans to sell real-estate there, seizing Chinese fisherman in the claimed waters, etc.

I think we need to distinquish when we say things like "Japan never apologized" that we are talking about the ruling class. It's no secret here that the Japanese army massacred millions of Chinese. Unfortunately the Chinese protests, which happen every year, doesn't have a class perspective and just blames Japan in general. The media in Japan uses footage of the protests to make Japanese people defensive and therefore to try and boost nationalism.

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Why?

War = Profits.
Stupid feuds = War.

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Video of Riots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXD4clyJJaI)

Well, Mao Zedong can be seen on more than one occasion. It could indeed be that the Chinese government subsidised this protest/riot. Leftists and rightists smashing Japanese capital... definitely something strange brewing here. I will blame Japan's ruling class if war breaks out though, Japan's economy and society is objectively up a creek and its owners might be looking to fuck shit up and hope they come out on top. This is some strange asian shit... could somebody from Asia comment on this? I don't get it.

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Um. (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/china-japan-heading-towards-war-says-us-defence-secretary-leon-panetta/story-e6frg6so-1226475484583)

Holy Shit. Dare i say, Two nuclear Nations at war, china-Russia Allies, US-Japan Allies, Iran... wtf..

Anyway, if war starts, and i told a comrade this; if even one Panzer runs across one Border of Europe, there needs to be Red Terror against the Capitalists and genocidal politicians. I hope the comrades from the other parts of the world will have the same view towards stopping war. Civil War as the answer to Imperialist War.

[Raúl Duke]

I doubt there will be war, at least I don't think any side is seriously actively considering it; particularly doubtful that the Japanese are planning on it since I doubt its society would view war favorably (The Chinese however probably wouldn't mind taking the Japanese down a notch due to their strong grudge). The Japanese military may be well-equipped, or so I heard, but the Chinese one is much larger. Allegedly, the Chinese Navy is the second largest naval force in the world; if war broke out they could perhaps take the islands and hold it.

What is happening though is a lot of posturing and "show of force." It could lead to an incident, of course; which could degenerate.

[citizen of industry]

The area has good fishing grounds and natural gas resources. Everyone and their mother has laid claim to it since the war. I don't think there will be any war. Japan is in a military alliance with S.Korea against the North, is totally dependent on exports and a lot of their production is in China. On top of that, they couldn't launch an attack without revising the constitution. It is the Japanese coast guard that patrols the islands and seizes Chinese fisherman in the claimed waters, and right wing politicians who want them so bad. The Chinese navy has sent a ship there before after one of the fishing incidents, but there was no confrontation. This happens every year. Same with N.Korea testing a missile and Japan putting anti-missile batteres in the capital.Most people just ignore it, unless they are uber-nationalists or fascists who actually care about a couple rocks in the ocean bad enough to die over it.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Doesn't Japan need permission from the United States before they undertake any kind of military action or am I thinking of outdated material?

[citizen of industry]

Doesn't Japan need permission from the United States before they undertake any kind of military action or am I thinking of outdated material?

I don't believe so, no. But article 9 of the constitution forbids any offensive action. For example, if a Japanese fighter pilot is attacked out of the blue, and shoots down the other plane in order to save his life without getting permission beforehand, he would be discharged and could face criminal charges. Of course there are loopholes, like Japanese participation in Iraq and fighting "piracy" in Asia, in a non-combatant role. Also they have the 5th largest military in the world and are a nuclear power. So they could very quickly become a powerful offensive force if the government changed the constitution.

[roisengn]

particularly during world war two where the most atrocious of crimes were committed against the populations. These incidents were not forgotten. I have a south korean friend, whom is educated, who tells me of his hatred for Japan in such a.... Passionite manner, frequently, when the subject of Japan is brought up.

[Tim Cornelis]

I don't believe so, no. But article 9 of the constitution forbids any offensive action. For example, if a Japanese fighter pilot is attacked out of the blue, and shoots down the other plane in order to save his life without getting permission beforehand, he would be discharged and could face criminal charges. Of course there are loopholes, like Japanese participation in Iraq and fighting "piracy" in Asia, in a non-combatant role. Also they have the 5th largest military in the world and are a nuclear power. So they could very quickly become a powerful offensive force if the government changed the constitution.

Fifth largest? More like 25th.

[citizen of industry]

Fifth largest? More like 25th.

Depends on the criteria. Are you looking at numbers or expenditures? In terms of expenditures, I think it goes something like the US, EU, China, Russia, Japan, putting them at number 5, but I'd have to confirm. If you are talking numbers, I think N. Korea is fourth, but they lack fuel and sophisticated technology. The US in terms of numbers is very low on the scale, much lower than N. Korea, because it is (economically drafted) volunteer. But we know they dominate the globe.

Anyway, Japan has a sizeable surface fleet (which China lacks), a modern airforce, an army, a massive military budget, no shortage of fuel and technology, and cooperation with the US, S. Korean and Australian military in the region, plus a space program (which indicates their capacity to produce ballistic missiles) and is a large producer and exporter of nuclear power.

However, the general population does not support revisions to article 9. There was a movement from the right a couple years ago in this direction that met with a lot of opposition. As the US economy declines, and China has surpassed Japan as the second economic power, they have seperated themselves quite a bit from US foreign policy, and Japan is an imperialist power with seveee economic troubles like population decline due to payment below substinance wages and reliance on exports that took a giant hit when the yen was strengthened. On top of that, Korea and Taiwan have caught up to their technology, so their last advantage is about gone.

[danyboy27]

Even tho it look quite impressive by the pictures, the protests are mainly caused by the a bunch of well fed nationalist living in port cities, the thin layer of the people in China who can offord going to the street and throw 2 dollars bottled water at the japanese embassy.

In the meantime, the massive rural population and the 1 billions migrants workers treated like shit by this thin layer are too busy striking and fighting corporations on a daily basis to actually bother spending shitload of time and ressources on some remote island they never saw or heard of.

[citizen of industry]

Even tho it look quite impressive by the pictures, the protests are mainly caused by the a bunch of well fed nationalist living in port cities, the thin layer of the people in China who can offord going to the street and throw 2 dollars bottled water at the japanese embassy.

In the meantime, the massive rural population and the 1 billions migrants workers treated like shit by this thin layer are too busy striking and fighting corporations on a daily basis to actually bother spending shitload of time and ressources on some remote island they never saw or heard of.

So basically, neither the Chinese nor Japanese people give a flying fuck about the islands, but it is rammed down their throats by the media and government. Meanwhile, there are a lot of strikes, protests involving hundreds of thousands of people against the government over energy policy after Fukushima that don't get a second of airtime. Hmm...wonder why...?

[danyboy27]

So basically, neither the Chinese nor Japanese people give a flying fuck about the islands, but it is rammed down their throats by the media and government. Meanwhile, there are a lot of strikes, protests involving hundreds of thousands of people against the government over energy policy after Fukushima that don't get a second of airtime. Hmm...wonder why...?

The last thing the chinese governement want is people starting resisting and being all patriotic, beccause there is no garantee that those folks wont come for the communist party next time around. Fews people actually know that the chinese state have been censoring countless numbers of nationalists books for decades, and i am not talking about anti-communist stuff, just plain old nationalistic books.

Sending all those boats to the islands and the little cheerleading is merely damage control to avoid being forced to clamp down on protesters to avoid the discontent to spread out even further into the mainland.

[citizen of industry]

Their religion obliges them to 'pay tribute' to all ancestors. Them doing this is not evidence of any sympathies for war crimes. It may seem strange to us, but you have to understand differences in custom and culture.

The overwhelming majority of the population is athiest. Though most people continue to follow religious customs like visiting a shrine on year-end (which I also do, because the foodstands are fun, my toddler enjoys returning the arrow every year and getting a new one, getting a fortune slip, I don't have to work for four days, etc.) it does not indicate adherance to a religion. And this does not apply to Yasukuni. A lot of companies in the area close during that time because they don't want their workers injured or entangled in any controversy. It is almost purely political, except for veterans groups of over 80 old men, and I don't feel any anger towards them. Perhaps I should, but they remind me of my own grandfather.

[#FF0000]

i doubt it'll come to a war. Japan's pissant navy is still superior to chinas big dumb navy.

China has seriously no power projection whatsoever.

So I'm wondering what this saber rattling is about

[Rugged Collectivist]

So I'm wondering what this saber rattling is about

Maybe it's just to save face. No country wants to cede anything to another, especially when they have such an intense rivalry. I remember reading about this stupid little conflict over a Canadian island between the US and the UK. I think they actually had a battle over it.

[doesn't even make sense]

i doubt it'll come to a war. Japan's pissant navy is still superior to chinas big dumb navy.

China has seriously no power projection whatsoever.

So I'm wondering what this saber rattling is about

imo all of these really petty territory disputes they've been having with their neighbors are just posturing. Prob. it's also a nationalist spectacle to distract the public from the economic slowdown, impending leadership transition, etc.

[danyboy27]

i doubt it'll come to a war. Japan's pissant navy is still superior to chinas big dumb navy.

China has seriously no power projection whatsoever.

So I'm wondering what this saber rattling is about

One of the reason china sent their navy ship was probably to avoid the angry chinese civilians to go medieval and start ramming japanese patrols.

Of course the chinese governement will say they do it in support of the people, but in reality this whole thing make them really uncomfortable.
With all that economic solowdown, China cant really offord to loose economics partners for small island full of ressources they will not be able to extract before years of infrastructure building.

so yea, nothing really interesting or new.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Even tho it look quite impressive by the pictures, the protests are mainly caused by the a bunch of well fed nationalist living in port cities, the thin layer of the people in China who can offord going to the street and throw 2 dollars bottled water at the japanese embassy.

In the meantime, the massive rural population and the 1 billions migrants workers treated like shit by this thin layer are too busy striking and fighting corporations on a daily basis to actually bother spending shitload of time and ressources on some remote island they never saw or heard of.
On this note, most of the dressed up cars in the photos are BMWs and Audis, and the creepy dealership is an Audi dealership.

[piet11111]

i doubt it'll come to a war. Japan's pissant navy is still superior to chinas big dumb navy.

China has seriously no power projection whatsoever.

So I'm wondering what this saber rattling is about

Its never restricted to navy vs navy and while i do not know any numbers i would expect china to have a massive lead in ballistic missiles and anti ship missiles.

China lacks invasion capability but when it comes to just bombing the shit out of a country close by (Taiwan) they have been building up their ability to do so.

[Red Commissar]

Someone pointed out to me that the timing of those whole incident played right into the hands of another nationalist event- the invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukden_Incident) on September 18, 1931. That event is usually seen as the first invasion of fragmented China by the Japanese, and I wonder if this comparison was brought up or at least played upon by those who had organized the protests in China.

In related news, Gary Locke, the American ambassador to China, ended up blocking his car from entering the US embassy (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcHTz7fBpUYkvqebNpiCle2PirXA?docId=5de4f6719 90e4ea494842b026422bd32) and caused "minor damage" to the vehicle.

There's no sign of this flotilla that China was said to have sent to the islands. But some sources are saying that the Taiwanese fishers are trying to pull a similar stunt.

[Robocommie]

Of course the chinese governement will say they do it in support of the people, but in reality this whole thing make them really uncomfortable.
With all that economic solowdown, China cant really offord to loose economics partners for small island full of ressources they will not be able to extract before years of infrastructure building.

so yea, nothing really interesting or new.

In fact I read an article the other day of how Chinese riot police were engaged in a crackdown on one particularly bad riot. I think this whole thing is something the PRC would rather have go away.


Its never restricted to navy vs navy and while i do not know any numbers i would expect china to have a massive lead in ballistic missiles and anti ship missiles.

China lacks invasion capability but when it comes to just bombing the shit out of a country close by (Taiwan) they have been building up their ability to do so.

There's almost nothing to be gained by that though except creating an extremely bad international situation. It will destroy infrastructure and kill civilians but no concrete objectives can be achieved without troops on the ground, and there are no possible political benefits. The US and Japan are tight allies and the US would be compelled to back Japan, but China is one of the most crucial trading partners the US has and neither country wants that link severed.

[piet11111]

There's almost nothing to be gained by that though except creating an extremely bad international situation. It will destroy infrastructure and kill civilians but no concrete objectives can be achieved without troops on the ground, and there are no possible political benefits. The US and Japan are tight allies and the US would be compelled to back Japan, but China is one of the most crucial trading partners the US has and neither country wants that link severed.

What i tried to say is that if things go wrong it unfortunately wont be limited to the superior japanese navy against some chinese fishing boats.

Fortunately this whole ordeal seems more about stirring up nationalism to boost the political approval ratings then a real effort of settling this through other means.

[danyboy27]

Someone pointed out to me that the timing of those whole incident played right into the hands of another nationalist event- the invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukden_Incident) on September 18, 1931. That event is usually seen as the first invasion of fragmented China by the Japanese, and I wonder if this comparison was brought up or at least played upon by those who had organized the protests in China.

In related news, Gary Locke, the American ambassador to China, ended up blocking his car from entering the US embassy (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcHTz7fBpUYkvqebNpiCle2PirXA?docId=5de4f6719 90e4ea494842b026422bd32) and caused "minor damage" to the vehicle.

There's no sign of this flotilla that China was said to have sent to the islands. But some sources are saying that the Taiwanese fishers are trying to pull a similar stunt.

The nationalists could use any freaking date on the calendar to justify their craziness, there was so much going on between japan and china for hundred of years, it would be hard to find a month without any significant event involving japanese soldiers killing chinese folks.

[MarxSchmarx]

The last thing the chinese governement want is people starting resisting and being all patriotic, beccause there is no garantee that those folks wont come for the communist party next time around. Fews people actually know that the chinese state have been censoring countless numbers of nationalists books for decades, and i am not talking about anti-communist stuff, just plain old nationalistic books.

Sending all those boats to the islands and the little cheerleading is merely damage control to avoid being forced to clamp down on protesters to avoid the discontent to spread out even further into the mainland.

This is a very good point. The Chinese ruling class must steer a very fine line between providing an outlet for resentment towards external enemies, particularly if it is seen as serving their own ends and makes the government appear to be in accord with mass demonstrators (in short, shoring up their legitimacy), and preventing these kinds of demonstrations from turning into a criticism of the capitalist communist party that lets japanese investors and factories get away with so much. Although it is likely the demonstrations are largely whipped up by the state (it's telling to me that the protests in Hong Kong aren't nearly as pronounced; notice also that a lot of the protesters photos were pretty fit young men with military style haircuts), the party hierarchy is well aware that this sort of nationalism has been an incredibly potent force in challenging the central government for centuries, and can be a significant problem potentially on a scale of the wild-cat strikes if not greater - especially if the ruling elite is accused of betraying China's perceived sovereign claims.

[danyboy27]

This is a very good point. The Chinese ruling class must steer a very fine line between providing an outlet for resentment towards external enemies, particularly if it is seen as serving their own ends and makes the government appear to be in accord with mass demonstrators (in short, shoring up their legitimacy), and preventing these kinds of demonstrations from turning into a criticism of the capitalist communist party that lets japanese investors and factories get away with so much. Although it is likely the demonstrations are largely whipped up by the state (it's telling to me that the protests in Hong Kong aren't nearly as pronounced; notice also that a lot of the protesters photos were pretty fit young men with military style haircuts), the party hierarchy is well aware that this sort of nationalism has been an incredibly potent force in challenging the central government for centuries, and can be a significant problem potentially on a scale of the wild-cat strikes if not greater - especially if the ruling elite is accused of betraying China's perceived sovereign claims.
I dont really know how relevant this is tho, its slowly becoming common practice amongst university studients to do a fews years into the army in order to get research money and contact to advance their careers, mainly beccause the military boosted their financial incentives.