Japan scrambles jets as Chinese plane flies over disputed isles
Source: Reuters
Japan scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after a Chinese government plane entered what Japan considers its airspace over disputed islets in the East China Sea, escalating tension between Asia's two biggest economies.
Japan protested to China over the incident but China brushed the complaint off saying the flight by the Chinese aircraft was "completely normal".
Sino-Japanese relations took a tumble in September after Japan bought the tiny islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from a private Japanese owner.
Patrol ships from the two countries have been shadowing each other since then in a standoff that has raised concern that a collision could escalate into a clash. Thursday's incident was the first time both sides used aircraft in the dispute.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/13/uk-china-japan-scramble-idUKBRE8BC0HX20121213
heaven05
(18,124 posts)or just my imagination?
Nanjing to Seoul
(2,088 posts)The people on the street I talk to don't even know why they want those islands except because Japan claims them too.
Fucking stupid.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)There are known undersea fields of oil and natural gas in that area, first described in a 1968 geological survey and reported by the UN in 1969. Some of them have already been developed to the north, and some straddle the maritime boundary between China and Japan. Also, territorial jurisdiction over the islands would expand China's exclusive economic zone.
jsr
(7,712 posts)geardaddy
(24,931 posts)They've been fighting over this shit for decades. Don't forget Taiwan claims them too.
Don't get started on the Spratlys.
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)PB
humblebum
(5,881 posts)Selatius
(20,441 posts)There is absolutely no excuse to bring in military assets over a few islands in the ocean.
If there were a huge oil and natural gas deposit underneath or around the islands, then it would be more understandable why two powers are fighting over it, but I don't think these islands even have that going for them.
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)...
What is the row about?
The eight uninhabited islands and rocks in question lie in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and southwest of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa.
They matter because they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits. The islands are controlled by Japan.
...
From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11341139
Selatius
(20,441 posts)I was reading it, and I was saying, "Please don't let it mention oil, please don't let it mention oil, please don't let it mention oil," ... then bam ... oil!!!