The causes and status quo of the Diaoyu Islands dispute

Mondo Military Updated on 2024-01-31

Diaoyu Dao is a subsidiary island of Taiwan, China, located in the northeast of Taiwan Island east of the continental shelf in the East China Sea, consisting of Diaoyu Dao and seven other islands and reefs, with a total area of about 569 square kilometers. Diaoyu Dao was first discovered and named by ancient Chinese ancestors, and the earliest historical record is "Sending Off the Wind" in the first year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1403).

The Diaoyu Islands are not only rich in seabed resources, such as oil and fisheries, but also have important military strategic value, serving as a natural barrier to the outer edge of Chinese mainland and a breakthrough in the depth of Japan's defense. As a result, Japan has been eyeing the Diaoyu Islands, occupying them since the end of the 19th century, and forcibly seizing Taiwan and its affiliated islands in 1895 through the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After World War II, with the support of the United States, Japan "returned" the "administrative power" of the Diaoyu Islands to Japan, triggering a strong ** and ** movement among the Chinese people.

In September 2012, Japan** announced the "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands, intensifying the contradictions between China and Japan. China** resolutely opposes Japan's illegal acts, and dispatched maritime surveillance vessels and official law enforcement vessels to patrol and enforce the law in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands, and confronted the ships of the Japanese Maritime Protection Agency. At the same time, a large number of Chinese fishing boats also rushed to the waters of the Diaoyu Islands to carry out fishing operations. Since then, China has carried out regular patrols and law enforcement at the Diaoyu Islands, effectively safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

The law enforcement actions of the Chinese coast guard ships in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands demonstrate the professional quality and strong will of the Chinese coast guard, as well as the patriotic feelings and righteous stance of the Chinese people. Fearless of Japan's provocations and interference, the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) repeatedly drove away Japanese vessels, setting a new record for the duration of continuous law enforcement in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. CCG vessels also protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, allowing them to fish freely around the islands that their ancestors discovered and named.

Although the Chinese coast guard ships are stationed at the Diaoyu Islands, they have not landed on the islands, which is out of consideration for Sino-Japanese relations and out of a grasp of the international situation. China does not want to trigger a conflict between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, nor does it want to give the United States and other countries the opportunity to create trouble in the East China Sea. China has already taken de facto control of the Diaoyu Islands through maritime law enforcement and patrols, and has already made clear China's sovereignty and position on the Diaoyu Islands, and there is no need to take more aggressive actions. China needs to have strategic determination, not be swayed by external pressure, adhere to its own principles and bottom line, and safeguard its own interests and dignity.

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