newscientist | It all comes down to black gold. Anti-Japan protests erupted in at least 100 Chinese cities on Tuesday, as anger over a struggle for control of oil and gas in the East China Sea turned violent, and increased the tension between the countries.
The focal point is a dispute over a remote island chain known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, lying east of China and south-west of Japan (see map).
The US handed them to Japan after the second world war, but China says that it has a prior claim. Japan recently purchased several of the islands back from a private Japanese owner, and their nationalisation has ratcheted up anger in China.
"There is potential oil and gas," says Pui-Kwan Tse of the US Geological Survey. It's not clear how much is there, or whether it would be economical to drill for it.
However, the East China Sea is rich in oil and gas reserves, many of which have only been discovered in recent decades. China and Japan are both eager to stake a claim: China's energy demand is growing rapidly, and Japan's reserves are limited.
4 comments:
Taiwan and South Korea is also in the mix over this island
you seriously believe that Japan ain't have some 95% enriched uranium lying around and some well and heavily concealed intermediate range ballistic missiles?
Sure, a few US nuclear submarines floating around. But I seriously believe Japan ain't got more than China or North Korea..the largest owner of rare earth material on the planet. These other countries like Tawain and Korea are straight going the Gangdam dance around Japan right now..I don't think Japan want to get themselves into something they can't get out of. .
N.Korea will be reduced to a fused glass field within the first 30 minutes, won't be no horde flooding across the DMZ - courtesy uncle sam - just to give Beijing something to think about.
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