People's Daily: China wouldn't tolerate the
willful buying and selling of Diaoyu Island.
Headline of an article on People's Network that appeared this morning and is quoting semi-official People's Daily, Beijing. The article presents a timeline of events regarding Diaoyu Island, starting from 1403 and intended to prove China's legitimate claim of territorial rights.
The article is reacting upon increasing tensions between China and Japan in the dispute over Diaoyu Island after Japan's government announced it would "buy" the island from its Japanese private owner. Here is an excerpt of what Louise Watt from Associated Press wrote some hours ago:
Japan's central government announced its own deal this week with the Japanese family it recognizes as the owner. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told reporters the government budgeted 2.05 billion yen ($26 million) for the purchase "to maintain the Senkakus peacefully and stably." Public broadcaster NHK said the government and the family signed a deal Tuesday.
The central government does not plan to develop the islands. Several experts interpreted the move as an attempt to block the plan by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, which could have raised tensions further. Ishihara also had said he hoped to visit the islands in October. "Ishihara put the national government in a very difficult spot. He pushed them into doing this now," said Sheila Smith, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. But she said this was a "good outcome" that should be seen as an attempt by Tokyo to sideline Ishihara. Japan cannot afford to let the dispute hinder its vital ties with China, its top trading partner, she said. Smith said Tokyo needs to be able to work through "different problems with Beijing in order to make sure the economic interdependence between those two countries continues to serve both nations' needs."
Beijing, however, responded with fury.
"The determination and the will of the Chinese government and military to safeguard their territorial integrity are firm," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said in a statement. "We are closely monitoring the development of the situation and reserve the right to take necessary measures." ...........
Meanwhile, two Beijing-sent patrol ships arrived near the disputed East China Sea islands in a show of anger over Tokyo's purchase of the largely barren outcroppings from their private owners.
Furthermore, Diaoyu Island has been mentioned for the first time in China Central TV CCTV's weather report for peripheral regions of China's territory.
Cloudy days to come with temperatures reaching 25-27 °C
Another headline of People's Network / People's Daily from September 13 is referring to a Chinese discussion forum on foreign politics:
The "position" of playing petty tricks is worthless money.
Based on the earlier mentioned article of People's Daily, published on September 11, here is some additional information on Diaoyu Island and its associated islets:
There's an early description of those islets in the early years of the Ming era [1368-1644]. A publication dating back to 1403 already mentioned them lying on the route of a ship that crossed the sea "from China's Fujian province to the Ryukyu Islands 福建往琉球".
During China's Ming and Qing era [i.e. 1368-1911], the imperial court successively sent 24 messengers to the Kingdom of Ryukyu, as laid down in the "Messenger's Ryukyu Record 使琉球录" that [practically] became a detailed recording of topography and landforms of Diaoyu Island [and islets].
The earliest of those Messenger's Ryukyu Reports is dating back to 1534 [Ming era].
Another important record came into being on behalf of the imperial court of the Qing dynasty in 1719.
Editor's Note:
The historic Kingdom of Ryukyu had its origin on Okinawa. Nowadays, all islands of the Ryukyu group, as marked on the below map, are under Japanese administration except the disputed Diaoyu Island and its neighbouring islets.
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