Diaoyu Belongs to China: US Must Not Tie Itself to Japan

Next week, U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Japan to meet and issue a joint statement together with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Japanese media has printed that the U.S. did not accede to Japan’s requests to spell out “the U.S. obligation to defend the Senkakus” within the joint statement. The fact is that Diaoyu and its subsidiary islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times. The U.S. has a responsibility to urge Japan not to challenge Chinese sovereignty over Diaoyu. The U.S. must not encourage Japanese ambitions to occupy Diaoyu, and even more so must not tie itself to Japan. If the U.S. does inject itself into the middle of the dispute, it will very likely pay a terrible price before the end is done.

The post-World War II international order was set by the U.S.-sponsored Cairo and Potsdam Declarations. According to the terms of the two documents, as a defeated nation, Japan was required to unconditionally return the territories it had seized since 1895 to their original owners. Consequently, there can be no doubt as to Japan’s return of Diaoyu to China, having thus been affirmed by international agreements. However, the widening divides during the Cold War prompted the U.S. and Japanese governments to violate the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations, doling the Diaoyu Islands out between themselves. When the two nations signed the agreement for the return of Okinawa on June 17, 1971, they also brazenly “transferred” administration of Diaoyu and its subsidiary islands to Japan.

Japan has long sought to take the islands and in recent years has become increasingly aggressive to this end, having announced that it will “nationalize” and exercise military control over Diaoyu. China has no choice but to look to every means available to uphold its sovereignty, including preparations for military action. The seas surrounding Diaoyu are a veritable tinderbox that could be set off at any moment. The American government knows well the root cause of the tension over the islands today and can offer little excuse in this regard. A documentary filmed by a U.S. studio, entitled “Diaoyu Islands: The Truth,” premiered in Los Angeles in March of this year. The movie’s director, Chris Nebe, indicated that he wants “to convey the message to the Americans that the American government should encourage its Japanese ally to return the islands right away and apologize to China for the war crimes they have done.” China’s ownership of Diaoyu has ample historical and legal bases, and the U.S. should turn back to historical veracity, accept its historical responsibilities to international justice, and urge Japan not to challenge Chinese sovereignty over Diaoyu.

The U.S. and China are now making an effort to establish a new model for great power relations; amicable cooperation between the two not only holds benefits for both economies, but is also in line with both nations’ larger strategies. But the precondition for this new model of great power relations remains that both sides respect each other’s core interests. Diaoyu touches directly upon the core interest of Chinese territorial sovereignty, and the U.S. is well-aware that China cannot make compromises here. The U.S. cannot cause harm to one of China’s core interests while also seeking to reap benefits from the relationship. Japan’s attempts to permanently occupy Chinese territory in Diaoyu will not stand, either historically or legally.

The islands are the shared inheritance of the Chinese people. What the U.S. and Japan most fear is that both sides of the Taiwan Strait will join hands to protect Diaoyu. Such a union to maintain sovereignty over Diaoyu together against outsiders could achieve much toward preserving the dignity and interests of the [Chinese] people.