Japan-China may engage in bitter standoff over claim on group of islands on East China Sea
Beijing/Tokyo: Away from Ladakh, a group of islands on the East China Sea can be the next hotspot for a bigger dispute between India and China as both the countries claim the region to be their own.
Both Tokyo and Beijing claim the uninhabited islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China, as their own, but Japan has administered them since 1972, reports CNN.
Tensions over the rocky chain, 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo, have simmered for years, and with claims over them dating back hundreds of years.
Neither Japan nor China is likely to back down over territory considered a national birthright in both capitals, reports the American news channel.
But an unexpected flare-up in the Senkaku/Diaoyus could trigger a military confrontation between China and the United States, CNN reported.
The situation might be more tense as United States has a mutual defense treaty with Japan. In case the Japanese territory is attacked by a foriegn force then the US will be obliged to defend it.
Fears of a possible confrontation were heightened last week with the announcement from the Japanese coastguard that Chinese government ships had been spotted in the waters close to Senakaku/Diaoyu Islands every day since mid-April, setting a new record for the number of consecutive days.
By Friday, those sightings had reached 67 days in a row, reports CNN.
On the development, Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said the region remained in Japan's control.
"The Senkaku Islands are under our control and are unquestionably our territory historically and under international law. It is extremely serious that these activities continue. We will respond to the Chinese side firmly and calmly," Suga was quoted as saying by CNN.
The China's Foreign Ministry later in the week echoed similar sentiments and was quoted as saying by the American news channel: "The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are an inherent part of China's territory, and it is our inherent right to carry out patrols and law enforcement activities in these waters."
The latest development occured at a time when India and Chinese soldiers were engaged in a violent standoff along the Galwan Valley last week.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the incident.
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