Widening rift: China cancels events to mark 40 years of Japan ties

September 23, 2012 – TOKYO – China has cancelled events to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations with Japan, further signaling its anger over a simmering territorial dispute. Japanese foreign ministry official Hiroaki Sakamoto confirmed that China has cancelled the events, planned for Thursday. He did not provide further details. China’s Xinhua news agency, citing officials with the China-Japan Friendship Association and another government-affiliated group, reported on Sunday that the events would not take place as planned. It said they would be held “at a proper time.” Calls to China’s foreign ministry were not answered Sunday. In its evening broadcast, China Central Television said the timing of the events was being “adjusted.” Relations have sunk to their worst level in years as the two sides spar over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries and by Taiwan. In the latest large anti-Japan protest in China, up to 3,000 people demonstrated Sunday in the southern city of Guangzhou, Xinhua reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement late Saturday that Japanese personnel had landed on the islands to stop Taiwanese activists from doing so, and China had protested strongly to Japan over the “severe infringement upon China’s territorial sovereignty.” A group of Taiwanese fishermen have said they will sail 60 boats to the islands on Monday to protect their fishing grounds. Hundreds of people marched in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Sunday to protest against Japan for occupying the islands. They waved anti-Japan signs and asked Tokyo to relinquish the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Japan’s government purchased several of the islands from their private Japanese owners this month, setting off angry demonstrations across China. Taiwan’s government has maintained a cautious approach to the dispute to avoid straining ties with Japan. –Times of India

Chinese ships near disputed islands: Three Chinese governmehnt ships were in Japanese territorial waters off a disputed island chain, the coastguard said, in the latest salvo of an increasingly heated international dispute. The move came a day after China dealt a diplomatic snub to Japan by postponing long-planned events marking the 40th anniversary of ties, as relations plumb depths not seen for decades. It also came as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda warned Beijing’s uncompromising stance could affect its economy and have knock-on effects on the wider world. Japan’s coastguard said that as of 7.00am, two maritime surveillance ships and one fishery patrol boat were in sovereign waters off Uotsurijima, the largest island in the Japanese-administered Senkaku chain, which China claims as the Diaoyus. The ships are not naval vessels; maritime surveillance comes under the State Oceanic Bureau, which is part of the Ministry of Land and Resources. Their roles include law enforcement in Chinese waters. Fisheries patrol boats come under the aegis of China’s Agriculture Ministry, and are responsible for policing fishing and marine resources. The coastguard said six other vessels were in contiguous waters, an area under international law that extends up to 12 nautical miles outside a territory. Osamu Fujimura, Japan’s top government spokesman and chief cabinet secretary said Japan has “protested strongly” over the intrusion through diplomatic channels. Up to 14 Chinese government ships have been in the area for over a week, dipping in and out of contiguous waters. –The Australian

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