Chinese Media Digest - Sunday, September 23

Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2012-9-23 18:01:22

Keywords:  China slams landing of Japanese police on Diaoyu Islands

China slams landing of Japanese police on Diaoyu Islands

China’s foreign ministry lodged on Saturday solemn representations and strong protests against Japanese police’s landing on the Diaoyu Islands Friday evening with an excuse to prevent Taiwanese activists from landing on the islets.

It is Japan’s second landing after two of its right-wingers’ landed there on September 18, since China announced its baseline of the Diaoyu Islands on September 10. The latest landing provoked another round against Japan from critics on Chinese media outlets, and an appeal to the Chinese government to take further reasonable but tougher countermeasures amid the escalating Diaoyu spat.

People’s Daily on Sunday said the political trick of the Japanese government and Japan’s right-wing activists on the Diaoyu Islands was not a simple coincidence but rooted in the increasing rightist sentiment from the Japanese government, its tougher diplomacy, and strained relationship with its neighbors.

Japan’s long-term economic gloom and the change of the national strength of Japan and China led to some Japanese feeling frustrated and agitated, who confronted China with a series of tough diplomatic strategies to fulfill their political purpose.

The paper called on Japan to repair the already paralyzed Sino-Japan relationship via “strengthening exchanges” with actual actions.

China Youth Daily on Sunday attributed Japan’s series of territorial challenges with China to Japan’s misjudging the current situation, such as its domestic political situation, the possibility of the US protecting Japan amid the island row, and China’s firm stance over guarding its territory.

The newspaper said that yielding to Japan’s right-wing activists’ could not help the Japanese government to tide over the political crisis by quoting Peng Guangqian, a military expert at the PLA Academy of Military Science.

Peng further illustrated that the US, which pursues a policy of “pragmatism,” has never joined and will not join a battle for the sake of the national interests of its ally without taking into consideration its own position.

Japan’s frail economic structure, stingy resources and narrow strategic space can not contend against China, even if its military strategies are quite good, said Peng, adding that, “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been well prepared to guard China’s territory sovereignty at any time.”

Phoenix TV reported Saturday both China and Japan need to calm down on addressing the Diaoyu issue via negotiations to avoid accidental clashes in politics, economics, and diplomacy as well as with law enforcement around the Diaoyu waters.


The possible meeting of both nations’ foreign ministers during the 67th United Nation summit next week offers a good chance for the two sides to settle the problem via dialogue, said Zheng Hao, a Phoenix TV commentator.


Despite that Japan has announced to “nationalize” the Diaoyu Islands, China behaved better in patrolling the Diaoyu waters than Japan in regards of law enforcement, said the report, adding that both nations should avoid further escalating tension, and it will still take time to see which country will win the confrontation.


Separately, the Beijing-based financial news portal caixun.com held that the landing of Japanese police on the Diaoyu Islands Friday was more serious than that of the previous landing of the two Japanese right-wingers.

The landing of the Japanese police, due to their identity, could be regarded as Japan’s outspoken infringement of China’s sovereignty, the report said.

Chinese government could send its official vessels to approach the waters 12 nautical miles off the Diaoyu Islands while maritime law enforcement officials could also land on the islands as a response to Japan’s landing, said the report.

The report held that taking a tough stance over the Diaoyu row against Japan does not mean China will resort to military means. However, China could consider dispatch administrative vessels, followed by military vessels, to patrol around the Diaoyu waters to guarantee the successful landing of the Chinese activists. China’s administrative vessels could also consider prohibiting the landing of the Japanese on the islands.

The report also believed that China has the right to fire at Japan’s vessels which sailed in areas that are covered under the Chinese government’s Diaoyu Islands baseline announcement in September.



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