History books are replete with territorial claims by countries with military supremacy to boast of. More often than not, territorial disputes have been the most contentious issues plaguing world powers since colonial times.
Recently, the territorial dispute between China and Japan has caught much of the world's attention as its prolonged standoff has reverberated across the Asia-Pacific region.
According to New York Times, these groups of disputed islands are known as Diaoyu in China. However, in Japan, these island-territories are called Senkaku. These groups of island have been claimed by Japan since World War II. China has not backed off from her territorial sovereignty even before pre-war times.
Acknowledging their marked differences in their assertion of sovereignty over the disputed islands is a good political development. It eased the tensions that existed on the said territories, New York Times has disclosed.
The recent diplomatic development between the two regional powers has been welcomed with a sigh of relief among other South East nations, New York Times confirmed.
New York Times reported that the said development which led to the thawing of their frosty diplomatic relations was perceived by many political watchers as a giant leap forward. Many economists have acknowledged that the prolonged stand-off, if not dealt with pro-actively, would lead to more tensions within the region.
Rising nationalist sentiments would dampen trade relations and thus may have resulted into economic stalemate, New York Times added.
Veering off a little further into the South China Sea, a chain of territorial islands has been the focus of contentions not only between China and the Philippines, but also between Vietnam and China.
According to International Business Times, the Philippines has been preparing a host of credible evidences to debunk China's territorial claims over the chain of islands in the South China Sea. These strings of foolproof evidences primarily consist of archived maps that refute China's sovereignty claims.
The Philippines has taken up a notch its long-held claim over the disputed islands, particularly the Scarborough Shoal territorial dispute. Philippine authorities can now overwhelmingly dispute China's historical ownership over the disputed islands through an exhibit of 60 ancient maps of Asia, the International Business Times reported.
Inquirer reported that the most glaring and dramatic territorial claim asserted by China is its sovereignty claim over Taiwan. Formerly known as Formosa, this island-nation was the last refuge and stronghold of the nationalist army headed by Chiang-Kai-Shek.
China's long-standing desire to re-unite with Taiwan seems to be the prime-mover of its unrelenting military build-up, the Inquirer added.
Despite the rhetoric of nationalism and territorial pride, the driving force behind such political moves really boil down to purely economic gains, as historical accounts have often pointed out.
Sources:
ttp://globalnation.inquirer.net/107788/a-look-at-chinas-territorial-claims/
