China claims sovereignty over disputed Senkaku Islands: 'Inherent Chinese territory'

In a recent international development, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin, on Friday, said that Diaoyu Island (Senkaku) and its affiliated islands are inherent Chinese territory. China reasserted its claims of sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku Islands.

Wang Wenbin in a statement said, The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are inherent Chinese Territory. The patrol and law enforcement activities by China Coast Guard in these waters are legitimate and lawful measures to safeguard sovereignty."

Wang Wenbin also urged Japan to abide by the consensus reached between China and Japan and come together in coming together to uphold peace and stability in the East China Sea. The four-point principled consensus reached between China and Japan refers to the 2014 agreement that included a promise to prevent the deterioration of the situation in the East China Sea via dialogue and consultation.

Senkaku Islands

This is the strongest "intervention" by China since the Japanese government "nationalised" the islands in 2012. Japan has frequently protested over this. While Japan controls the Senkaku Islands, China and Taiwan continue to claim them. Tokyo maintains that the islands are an inherent component of the territory owing to history and international legislation. 

Now, there exists a plethora of territorial disputes between China and its neighbours in the seas. Wary countries hooked in territorial disputes with China anticipate basis precedence that latter may interpret internal waters of islands, as territory of its own.

South China Sea/ East China Sea

Of late, China has been increasing its maritime activities in both South China Sea and the East China Sea, in response to Beijing's concerns over the increasing US military presence in the region. This is also subsequent to escalating Sino-US tensions. As Chinese government-owned vessels have intruded into Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands and have been patrolling for the past 112 days. The power projection comes from the backdrop of China's ascending maritime activities in the South China Sea. Experts have noted this increase in China's presence in the Sea as a response to Beijing's concerns over the sizeable increase in US military presence in the region. This has obviously escalated the Sino-US feud. 

The resource-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are now at the centre of a deepening maritime row in the region. The said islands are subject to a territorial dispute and are in whole or partly claimed by numerous countries, namely, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. 

Japan siphons COVID vaccines to Taiwan

In response to Japan delivering 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine for free to Taiwan, more than doubling their current stores.

Wang said, "China always supports anti-epidemic cooperation and has made positive contributions to this end. We hope that relevant parties will earnestly follow through on the original aspiration of providing vaccines to save lives, rather than be obsessed with political posturing."

Wang also stated China's readiness to do the utmost to aid Taiwan to overcome unfavourable times.