In a new effort to bolster its claim to disputed islands in the East China Sea, the Chinese government has endowed the isles with a Web site under their Chinese name, www.diaoyudao.org.cn, for the Diaoyu Archipelago (釣魚群島). Taiwan and Japan also claim sovereignty over the islands, known as the Diaoyutais (釣魚台) in Taiwan and the Senkakus in Japan.
Next to the Chinese national flag, the words “Diaoyu Islands — China’s inherent territory” top the Web site’s home page.
Below are photos of the uninhabited, Japanese-administered archipelago with islands identified by their Chinese names, the Chinese government’s statement as to why the islands are an integral part of China and a timeline reaching back to the 14th century with historical documents offered as proof of China’s claim.
“The Diaoyu are inseparable parts of Chinese territory,” the Web site says. “Whether from a historical perspective or a legal one, they are China’s inherent territory.”
The Web site, currently only in Chinese, was set up by China’s National Marine Data and Information Service, a department under the country’s State Oceanic Administration.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the Web site will eventually be available in other languages, including English and Japanese.
“This might be a response to Japan’s earlier publishing of its position and related documents about the islands,” said Zhou Weihong (周維宏), a professor in Japanese studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs set up a section on its Web site detailing Japan’s claim to the islands, along with supporting historical records, around the time Tokyo announced it would purchase the islands from a private owner in 2012, Zhou said.
That section, which is available in a dozen languages, including Chinese, declares: “There is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent part of the territory of Japan.”
Liu Jiangyong (劉江永), a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, praised the Chinese action.
“Since China has a vast amount of historical references, it should, of course, display them on the Internet,” he said.
Relations between China and Japan have been tense for years, exacerbated by the conflicting claims over the islands.
In November, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met briefly at the APEC summit meeting in Beijing.
The two sides noted in softer tones that “different positions exist” on the disputed archipelago.
Still, last month, two Chinese naval vessels were reported to have come within 70km of the islands, the closest approach since the dispute erupted in 2012.
Additionally, on Tuesday last week, Japan said three coast guard vessels from China had entered its territorial waters near the islands.
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying (華春瑩), that day said that the Chinese naval vessels’ movements conformed to international law. As for the Chinese coast guard vessels, Hua said that they were patrolling Chinese territorial waters, in an “exercise of sovereignty according to the law.”
Since the Diaoyu Islands Web site went online on Tuesday last week, many comments have tended toward the cynical.
“But the actual control” of the islands “falls into others’ hands,” one Sina Weibo user wrote.
Another Weibo user posted: “Pretty cool Web site, but could we please unblock Twitter and Facebook, Google and Gmail first?”
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