Layang Layang (Swallow Reef), from Storm Crypt's flickr
Headlines about China’s territorial disputes and what they mean for an ever more powerful China still haven’t died down following the early September Japan-China run-in over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Not only was China’s friendly image tarnished and some of its work at regional diplomacy undone, but it also awkwardly reminded of China’s many sticky territorial disputes with other neighbors.
Disputed territories are something of a landmine for China. Without even going into the glaring cases of Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang, China has territorial disputes with nearly all the countries it borders, prickly issues that often go unmentioned because they are so old, contentious and intractable.
Here are four territorial disputes with low profiles outside the region, but which continue to be a thorn in the side of China’s regional relations:
1. Senkaku Islands – uninhabited islands in the East China Sea located west of Okinawa and northeast of Taiwan
Controlled by: Japan
Claimed by: Japan, China, Taiwan
History: Japan has controlled the islands since he Sino-Japanese War in 1895, but China claims to have controlled them as part of Taiwan before that (during the Qing Dynasty). The U.S. took control of them after World War II and returned them to Japan in 1972, despite claims made by China and Taiwan in 1971.
Reason for dispute: Nastiness arises from not only the political history between Japan and China but also the possibility there may be huge oil and natural gas resources in the area, which both economies would be loathe to give up the rights to.
Conflict: September’s diplomatic flare-up is the latest in a long string of protests and statements from officials that have maintained a steady tension around the issue. In 1996, a Hong Kong citizen drowned while protesting Japan’s presence on the islands. Shortly before the latest incident, Beijing seemingly increased its navy activity in the area.
2. Spratley Islands – a chain of 750 reefs, islets, atolls and cays scattered across the South China Sea
Controlled by: China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines all have a military presence on certain islands
Claimed by: partly claimed by the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia; fully claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and China
History: China and Vietnam unknowingly laid simultaneous claim to islands in the chain hundreds of years ago. While controlling Vietnam, France claimed and established a presence on the islands, which China and Japan contested. China and Vietnam have continued to assert sovereignty, and geography-based claims followed in the 1970s and ‘80s from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, complicating the picture.
Conflict: in 1995, a conflict over the islands between China and the Philippines was mediated with an ASEAN agreement, which China and Malaysia both promptly violated. ASEAN has continued to work towards an agreement, but a recent statement from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in favor of multilateral resolution prompted a sharp reaction form China, which prefers a bilateral approach.
Reason for dispute: Tiny, non-arable and uninhabited, the islands are nonetheless seen as valuable for staking out international borders in the murky waters of the South China Sea. They are also economically important for fishing and shipping. They are also known to hold large oil and natural gas reserves. And for China and Vietnam, they claims have special meaning because they boil down to historical influence in the region.
3. Paracel Islands – an archipelago of about 130 small, uninhabited islands in the South China Sea, roughly equidistant from Vietnam and China
Controlled by: China, since 1974
Claimed by: China, Vietnam, Taiwan
History: Some evidence dates Chinese influence over the islands to as early as the Song Dynasty in the 1070s, while Vietnamese commerce reached the islands in the mid-1400s. France claimed the islands when it colonized Vietnam, setting up a weather station on one island and passing that on to Vietnam when it left. After World War II, Vietnam retained this presence while the Chinese army laid claim to other islands in the chain.
Conflict: Tension culminated in the Battle of the Paracel Islands in 1974. When Vietnam found Chinese military in the islands, it sent four warships to throw them out. Chinese reinforcements beat the Vietnamese, killing 53 Vietnamese soldiers, while the Chinese casualties are disputed. China has controlled the islands since.
Reason for Dispute: Geological surveys show the islands may have oil and natural gas deposits, and the incident was also an important power play for China following the regime changes in the region. Reuters reports that China has detained scores of Vietnamese fishermen in these waters over the years, and that analysts see a recent hardening of China’s tone on the issue.
4. Arunachal Pradesh – a chunk of northeast India bordering Tibet, Burma and Bhutan
Controlled by: India
Claimed by: India; China, as part of south Tibet
History: The history of the land is mysterious, but the original inhabitants seem to be of Tibeto-Burman origin. In 1914, the British, then in control of India, drew the McMahon Line to divide India from Tibet. China never accepted this agreement, but it held by default, and Chinese influence then collapsed for a time in Tibet. Once independent and aware that the Chinese army would retake Tibet, India stated the McMahon line as the official boundary in 1950.
Conflict: In 1962, tensions related to this border area mounted into the Sino-Indian War, in which China attacked across the McMahon Line and retook all the territories it claimed. However, it then declared a ceasefire and withdrew back to the original border. No territory exchanged hands and China’s international image was tarnished by what was seen as its aggression.
Reason for dispute: China denies that Tibet ever had authority to agree to the McMahon line, although Tibet was effectively independent at the time. The area has some economic value for tourism and agriculture, but this power struggle between two growing Asian giants is complicated by history and won’t be resolved easily. China found the McMahon Line humiliating and also eyes a chunk of Indian land called Tawang, which is the heart of Tibetan Buddhist culture. Attempts to settle this boundary have come to nothing, with both sides seeming to reassert claims and step up military presence at the border in recent years. Source: economist.com
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