Latest  News

	China's territory not allowed for sale: FM spokesman China's holy territory is not allowed "to be purchased" by anyone, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on July 7. Japan government looks into to buy Diaoyu Islands The Japanese government is looking into buying the chain of islands at the center of the territorial dispute between Japan and China.
	China protests Japan on Diaoyu Islands China has lodged solemn representation and protests to Japan for violating its territorial sovereignty. The protest came one day, after two Japanese right-wing activists landed on the Diaoyu Islands on July 5.

	●China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said that the Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the sovereign rights of the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets.
	●Ma Ying-jeou, the incumbent Taiwan leader said that Taiwan government insists Diaoyu Islands are parts of China.
	●Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says that there is no leeway in terms of territorial ownership of the islands and the country is effectively in control of them. ●Noda admitted his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalize" part of the "Senkaku Islands" (China's Diaoyu Islands) by the end of the year.

View  Points

●Backing needed for political moderates
Sino-Japanese relations are currently worsening, thanks to a combination of the quarrel over the Diaoyu Islands and historical issues. Territorial issues are meaningful, but we shouldn't let historical problems interfere with the relationship.

●Sinophobia gives Ishihara public boost
The fact is that the Tokyo metropolitan government has quickly received a notable amount of donations already, and this suggests that there is a public interest in this problem. Many people want these islands to be in government hands, and what's implicit in these sentiments are the growing anxiety that China will attempt to challenge Japan more forcibly on this issue.

●Unclear stance leaves Japan divided over Diaoyu
The only way for Japan to have a bright future is to face both neighboring countries and its own constituents with a tolerant and open mind.

●Diaoyu Islands can never be up for sale
Japan repeatedly challenges China's legal rights over Diaoyu, but China can also apply the same strategy. In China's administrative system, Diaoyu Islands are under the governance of Yilan county of Taiwan Province. A garrison post on Diaoyu under China's legal system can be established, including the appointing related officials. In this way, Diaoyu could come under China's daily operation.

Incident  Review

Time
Apr 16		Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara said that the metropolitan government plans to buy the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, over which both China and Japan claim sovereignty, a move that risks elevating tensions between the two countries.
Apr 17	China reiterated that the Diaoyu Islands and other affiliated isles have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times, and China holds indisputable sovereignty over them.
Apr 27		Ishihara announced that the metropolitan government had set up an account for people to send money to help it purchase the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Times reported.
May 2	China's fishery administration authorities confirmed that two of its vessels have sailed into waters near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
May 8	The Chinese foreign ministry said that it held the same stance toward unilateral action from Japan in its bid to violate China's lawful ownership of these islands.	The Tokyo metropolitan government went further in its plan to purchase three of the Diaoyu Islands, announcing that total donations had reached over 200 million yen ($2.5 million) by May 7.
May 16	China and Japan held a high-level consultation on maritime affairs with the Diaoyu Islands taking center stage.
May 18		World Uyghur Congress head Rebiya Kadeer made a donation of 100,000 yen ($125) on Friday to Takeo Hiranuma, a member of parliament and the party representative of the Sunrise Party of Japan, after the meeting of the WUC assembly, and declared that she would help the Tokyo metropolitan government "buy" the Diaoyu Islands.
May 22	The Chinese government voiced strong protest against the meeting.	Members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) reportedly held a meeting to discuss the purchase of the Diaoyu Islands, after councilors were split over the proposal by Tokyo mayor Shintaro Ishihara.
June 7		A senior Japanese cabinet official said that the Japanese government was studying the proposal by a right-wing politician to purchase the Diaoyu Islands and that objections to the plan by the Japanese envoy to China was "not in line with the government's stance," according to the Kyodo News.
June 18	Experts say Taiwan-based Foxconn CEO Terry Gou's suggestion that he would buy the Diaoyu Islands and cooperate with Japan to develop them is impracticable and meaningless.
June 26	China again requested Japan to stop causing new disturbances over the Diaoyu Islands and safeguard the overall interests of bilateral ties.
July 7	China will not allow its territory to be "purchased" by anyone, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said, after Japan said that it was looking to buy disputed islands from a Japanese citizen.	Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda admitted his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalize" part of the "Senkaku Islands" (China's Diaoyu Islands) by the end of the year.

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