China warns US after Mattis says Diaoyu islands covered by treaty.

China warns US after Mattis says Diaoyu islands covered by treaty. (channelnewsasia).

China warned the United States Saturday (Feb 4) not to destabilise East Asia after Donald Trump's new defence secretary said an island chain claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing was covered by a US-Japan military accord.

The Senkaku islands, known in China as the Diaoyus, sit in rich fishing grounds and are at the centre of a festering row between Tokyo and Beijing, which claims they have been part of Chinese territory for centuries.

"The Diaoyu Island and its adjacent islets have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times, which is a unchangeable historical fact," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, according to the official news agency Xinhua.

"We urge the US side to take a responsible attitude, stop making wrong remarks... and avoid making the issue more complicated and bringing instability to the regional situation".

Speaking in Tokyo at the tail end of a visit to East Asia, new US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the islands were subject to a long-standing treaty between Washington and Tokyo.

"I made clear that our long-standing policy on the Senkaku Islands stands -- the US will continue to recognise Japanese administration of the islands," Mattis said.

"And as such Article 5 of the US-Japan Security Treaty applies."

Article 5 commits the United States to defend Japan or territories it administers against any attack.
Lu said the US-Japan treaty was a product of the Cold War, and should not affect China's territorial sovereignty, Xinhua reported.

China warns U.S.: "Our determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as hard as a rock".

China warns U.S.: "Our determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as hard as a rock". (SP).

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi rebuked US State Secretary John Kerry's effort to limit what the US has called "manufacturing sovereignty" in the South China Sea.

China refused to back down to US Secretary of State John Kerry's demands that the country stops land reclamation on islands in the South China Sea.

The United States has been increasingly critical of China's activities in the South China Sea, which have included building up artificial islands in the area disputed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries. China does not consider the United States a party to the South China Sea dispute.

"I would like to reaffirm that China's determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as hard as a rock," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

China considers infrastructure improvements on islands in the South China Sea within its sovereign rights. Other countries involved in the dispute have also built up infrastructure and land reclamation efforts on islands. Read the full story here.

Three Chinese coast guard ships enter Japanese waters near Senkakus.

Three Chinese coast guard ships enter Japanese waters near Senkakus.(TJN).

NAHA (Jiji Press) — Three Chinese coast guard ships entered Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Thursday morning.

This is the first such intrusion by a Chinese government ship since Oct. 18 and the 26th this year.

The three ships — the Haijing 2101, the Haijing 2112 and the Haijing 2305 — crossed into the Japanese waters west-northwest of Uotsurijima, the largest island in the Japanese -administered Senkaku chain, around 10 a.m., according to the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

A Japan Coast Guard patrol ship warned the three vessels to leave the area, but they did not comply immediately. China claims the uninhabited islands, which it calls Diaoyu.

Ukraine - Crimea Crisis Live Updates.

Ukraine - Crimea Crisis Live updates from MFS Twitter   France 24 , Interpreter , Kyevpost and RT Russian - Euromaidan in English – Site of the Official English-language Public Relations Secretariat for the Headquarters of the National Resistance in Kyiv, Ukraine.

A fact-check site created to control disinformation in #Russian media due to the massive Russian propaganda -http://stopfake.org/

Live blogging : 

Polish army units moving towards Ukrainian border? General Staff: military movements take place, but it is a routine exercise. When the Polish Prime Minister says explicitly that " the world stood on the brink of conflict "is not hard to believe that the movements of the Polish Army have to do with this, that at stake is our eastern border.

RT: Russian Defense Ministry denied the information about the ultimatum allegedly staged to Ukrainian military

The Russian Defense Ministry denied replicated Ukrainian and Western media reports about the ultimatum that the head of the Black Sea Fleet Ukrainian military allegedly put in the Crimea.

The Russian Defense Ministry found out about this "ultimatum" from the agency Interfax-Ukraine, told RT source in the Defense Ministry.

"Utter nonsense" called such information the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, and said that any ultimatums Ukrainian military was not put in the Crimea, the newspaper "Vedomosti".

"We have become accustomed to the daily charges of carrying out any military actions in relation to our Ukrainian colleagues," - said the representative of the Staff. Meanwhile, the spokesman stressed headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, "knock heads together in the Crimea, we will not succeed," writes the Russian Interfax. 

Earlier Monday, Interfax-Ukraine quoted a source in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, who claimed that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia Alexander Vitko an ultimatum Ukrainian soldiers in the Crimea. According to the source agency, if, prior to 5:00 am Tuesday Ukrainian soldiers "do not give up, start a real assault units and parts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces around the Crimea."

France24: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has warned Russia that if tensions did not ease in Ukraine's rimea region, the European Union would consider "targeted measures" in response.

"If there is not in the coming hours a very quick de-escalation, then we will decide concrete measures such as the suspension of all talks on visas, suspension of economic agreements and concretely that means that ties will be cut on lot of subjects," Fabius told BFM TV.

"There could be targeted measures and that can also affect people, officials and their assets," he said, adding that EU leaders could hold a crisis meeting on the stand-off on Thursday."Europe must be firm," he said.

Concentration of Russian military equipment is observed on Ukrainian-Russian border in #Donetsk, #Kharkivsk& #Lugansk Oblasts -espreso.tv

France24:  Ukraine says Russian forces controlling the strategic region of Crimea are demanding that the crew of two Ukrainian warships must surrender, AP reports.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Maksim Prauta told the agency that four Russian navy ships were blocking Ukraine's anti-submarine warship Ternopil and the command ship Slavutych in Sevastopol's harbor. He said the Russians ordered the crew to surrender within the hour or face Russians storming and seizing the ships and crew.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported about the ultimatum of the Black Sea Fleet.   

Ultimatum :  Crimeans URGENT! March 4 at 5:00 ends ultimatum to surrender okkuptsionnyh troops Ukrainian army that obeys Bandera junta in Kiev, and the transition to the side of the Crimean government. We ask you not to promote Crimeans bloody transition Ukrainian military bases under the jurisdiction of the Crimea.

turns all Ukrainian soldiers in the Crimea, I ask you to promote delivery of military units, do not forget that the authorities in Kiev illegal if the "whiff of fried" these yatseniuk, Turchinov Avakov, Parubiya , Poroshenko and other rabble will sit in their planes and fly away with navorovanym in the U.S., EU, ​​Canada. It is not necessary for them to shed life, given that the Russian army is more efficient and is better equipped. To use weapons in the Crimea, YOU UKRAINIAN SOLDIER cause anger and hatred toward UKRAINIAN ARMY.

Do not forget that the current President of Ukraine is VF Yanukovych, without legitimate reason he was removed from office (by intimidation and violence). Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych did not give the order to mobilize and use of weapons of military units in the Crimea. If you are for the people of Ukraine, the people of Crimea for his Crimean government and the Russian army. I ask you to contribute to the liberation of Crimea from the Ukrainian military units, without bloodshed. http://lenta.ru/news/2014/03/03/ultimatum/

Interfax-Ukraine news reports that Russian military issues ultimatums to Ukraine.

Naval spokesman confirms Russian ultimatum, differs on time

March 3, 5:54 p.m. -- Oleg Chubuk, a spokesman of Ukraine’s naval forces, told the Kyiv Post: “As far as I know, an ultimatum has been voiced for 6 p.m. (today) with the demand to Ukraine’s soldiers to surrender arms,” he said, adding that the time could be changed. “Ukraine’s sailors don’t yield the provocations, guns are under control.” He said that Ukrainian forces would be required to defend themselves in event of attack. -- Oksana Grytsenko

Russians issued earlier ultimatum about attack, Turchynov says

March 3, 5:38 p.m. Russian military commanders have reportedly given the Ukrainian navy until 7 p.m. today to surrender and Ukrainian troops stationed on Crimea's mainland until 5 a.m. tomorrow -- or else they face attack. But the threats could be part of the war of nerves designed to rattle Ukraine. The nation's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov said that Russia gave Ukraine a similar ultimatum two days earlier, with the deadline of 5 a.m. on March 2. "They didn't start storming the bases on 5 a.m., but the situation is still tense there," he said earlier. --

UN Security Council to hold 2nd emergency meeting on Ukraine at 2000 GMT http://bnowire.com/inbox/?id=2214

Russia and China have agreed to continue to exchange information on new developments in Ukraine. http:// vk.com / a_maydan? Wal w = L-67092426_2195 

BREAKING ! RUSSIAN FORCES POSE ULTIMATUM

Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Alexander Vitko posed an ultimatum to the Ukrainian military units - unless they surrender before 5 am tomorrow (04.03), an attack will start on all Ukrainian military units throughout Crimea. The Russian occupation forces are communicating this decision to the Ukrainian military.
Report of "Information Resistance".

*Update:

Just spoke to UKR defence min source who is on a base now. Neither he nor base commanders heard about 0300GMT ultimatum, say prob nonsense.
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 3, 2014

BREAKING: Kerry threats vs Russia unacceptable, West sides with neo-Nazis - Russia's FM http://on.rt.com/ofs0qg

Breaking : Polish Media: Kaliningrad, unexpected about 3.500 Ru soldiers exercise near the Polish border. http://www.fakt.pl/rosyjskie-cwiczenia-w-obwodzie-kaliningradzkim,artykuly,447645,1.html

Flashback:  

  BREAKING:  The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that recent remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry contained threats against Russia and were "unacceptable", Reuters reports.

Kerry on Sunday condemned what he called Russia's "incredible act of aggression" in Ukraine after Russian forces took control of the Crimea region and parliament gave President Vladimir Putin consent to send the military into Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry: China expressed understanding of the Russian Federation represented by the analysis of the causes of the crisis in Ukraine. http://rus.ruvr.ru/2014_03_03/Kitaj-virazil-ponimanie-predstavlennogo-RF-analiza-prichin-krizisa-na-Ukraine-3608/   http://t.co/Jm5yU80YeL


BREAKING: Pravda:  Russian Duma registers law to unite Crimea and Russia. Putin will not be stopped. 

AFB Ukraine with 45 MiG-29 fighters defected to the Crimean people http:// russian.rt.com/article/23520 pic.twitter.com/R9YLlfhvCz

FRANCE 24’s Abdallah Malkawi takes pictures of Russian soldiers surrounding Ukrainian military base in Bakhchisarai. pic.twitter.com/kxh1JkLXLM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that currently receive information about preparing new provocations against the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory.(FLOT).[GoogleTranslate).

"There are reports on the preparation of new provocations, including against the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory," - said Lavrov, Speaking on March 3 session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"In such circumstances, legitimately elected Crimean authorities appealed to the President of Russia to assist in restoring peace in the autonomous republic. Appeal in full compliance with Russian legislation was sent to the Federation Council. Federation Council supported this petition, which we hope will sober radicals. Again, it comes to protecting our citizens and compatriots on the protection of the basic human right - the right to life "- Lavrov said.

"Those who are trying to interpret the current situation in Ukraine almost as a kind of aggression, threatening all sorts of sanctions and boycotts - it is the same of our partners who consistently and persistently encouraged political forces close to them ultimatums rejection of dialogue, to ignore the concerns of the south and east of Ukraine and in the end - to the polarization Ukrainian society, "- said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said that the Russian Black Sea fleet poses no threat to the situation in Ukraine and engaged in combat training in the Russian-Ukrainian agreements. According to him, the Black Sea Fleet based in Ukraine in strict compliance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements, and the location, number of personnel and amount of weapons Russian military units strictly comply with the agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Ukraine On February 22 there was a change of power ratings signs of a coup. Verkhovna Rada of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych from power, changed the constitution, the duties entrusted to the President and the Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov appointed presidential elections on May 25. Crimea and Sevastopol city council refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government in Ukraine. Federation Council on Saturday voted unanimously to give President Vladimir Putin agreed to the use of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine to the normalization of the political situation in that country. Later, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that obtaining consent from the Senate to use armed forces abroad does not mean that it is the right president will be immediately implemented. In turn, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such a decision yet.

Konstantin Rykov @ Rykov : You know what is the main podstava Europe from the U.S.. If the confrontation begins, the EU will be forced to grant asylum to citizens of Ukraine ..


Breaking : Russian sea-soldiers are gathering near the Command of the Naval Forces in Sevastopol, the officers of the Command were able to fight back the attack of the pro-Russian Cossacks. Russian regular army is coming to help the Cosssacks. Vladislav Seleznev. Head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Defence in the Crimea.

Live updates Ukraine - Crimea crisis.

Ukraine - Crimea cricis Live updates from France 24 , Interpreter , Kyevpost and RT Russian.

BIG QUESTION OF THE DAY ! WHY IS CHINA SILENT AND WHAT ARE THEY UP TO?

My thoughts: 

"I'm not a fortune teller, but if Putin go's 'All the way' one of the first things he'll do is shut off the gas supply to Europe and the UK. don't expect any 'presents' from this Guy......he means Business.

Secondly if war breaks out we might see China move in on the Diaoyu islands and even Taiwan - Japan.

Turkey will come to the aid of the Tartars and this will drag in the Islamic World and of Course Israel.  We're at the brink of WWIII if cool heads don't prevail.

Updates:

Putin to Obama: "Russia retains right 2 protect its interests & Russian-speaking population" in E. Ukraine and Crimea. http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/6752


Blog: Does the 1994 'Budapest Memorandum' obligate the US to intervene in Ukraine? 

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/03/does_the_1994_budapest_memorandum_obligate_the_us_to_intervene_in_ukraine.html

Obama Skips National Security Team Meeting on Russia, Ukraine.

China sets Air Defense Zone over East China Sea and disputed Islands.

China sets Air Defense Zone over East China Sea and disputed Islands.(ABCnews).

CHINA – The Chinese Defense Ministry on Saturday issued a map of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone that includes a chain of disputed islands also claimed by Japan, triggering a protest from Tokyo. 

Beijing also issued a set of rules for the zone, saying all aircraft must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing. It said it would “identify, monitor, control and react” to any air threats or unidentified flying objects coming from the sea.

The rules went into effect Saturday. In Tokyo, Junichi Ihara, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, protested by phone to China’s acting ambassador to Japan, Han Zhiqiang, saying the zone is “totally unacceptable,” according to a ministry statement. Ihara also criticized China for “one-sidedly” setting up the zone and escalating bilateral tensions over the islands. Both Beijing and Tokyo claim the islets, called Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese.

Protests erupted throughout China last year to denounce the Japanese government’s purchase of the islands from private ownership. A rising economic and military power, China has become more assertive over its maritime claims.

It has been in disputes with several neighboring countries over islands in the East and South China seas. “By establishing the air-defense zone Beijing has … potentially escalated the danger of accidental collisions between the Chinese military and the U.S. and Japanese counterparts,” said Tomohiko Taniguchi, a counselor in the office of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “It poses a serious challenge against freedom of movement in the sky and in the seas.” 

China said the zone is in line with the practice of other nations that have similar zones to protect their coasts. The new zone overlaps with Japan’s existing zone, which also includes the disputed islands.

“This is a necessary measure taken by China in exercising its self-defense right,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun was quoted as saying on the ministry’s website. “It is not directed against any specific country or target. It does not affect the freedom of over-flight in the related airspace.” South Korea and Taiwan also claim the barren, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. –

PM Shinzo Abe warns: "Japan would respond with force if any attempt is made to land on disputed islands."

PM Shinzo Abe warns: "Japan would respond with force if any attempt is made to land on disputed islands."(BBC). His comments came as eight Chinese government ships sailed near East China Sea islands that both nations claim. A flotilla of 10 fishing boats carrying Japanese activists was also reported to be in the area, as well as the Japanese coastguard.

Mr Abe was speaking in parliament hours after dozens of lawmakers visited a controversial war-linked shrine.

A total of 168 lawmakers paid their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan's war dead, including war criminals, in a move likely to anger regional neighbours who say the shrine is a reminder of Japan's military past. The warning from the Japanese prime minister was the most explicit to China since Mr Abe took power in December, the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo.

Asked in parliament what he would do if Chinese ships tried to land on the disputed islands, Mr Abe said they would be expelled by force. "Since it has become the Abe government, we have made sure that if there is an instance where there is an intrusion into our territory or it seems that there could be landing on the islands then we will deal will it strongly," he said.

The warning came as eight Chinese ships sailed around the islands - called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

The Japanese coast guard said it was the highest number of Chinese boats in the area since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September 2012.

China said its ships had been monitoring Japanese vessels. The State Oceanic Administration issued a statement saying three of its ships had "found" several Japanese ships around the islands and "immediately ordered another five ships in the East China Sea to meet the three ships".

Ten Japanese boats carrying around 80 activists arrived in the area early on Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported, monitored by Japanese Coast Guard vessels. Public broadcaster NHK said the boats were carrying "regional lawmakers and members of the foreign media".Read the full story here.

Chinese colonel raises nuclear War scenario.

Chinese colonel raises nuclear War scenario.(Smh).A CHINESE military officer has raised the spectre of nuclear weapons and warned Australia not to side with the United States and Japan as a territorial dispute in the East China Sea continues to escalate.
Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu, of the National Defence University, blamed America's ''orchestration'' and Japan's ''militarism'' for rising tensions over disputed islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.
''America is the global tiger and Japan is Asia's wolf and both are now madly biting China,'' Colonel Liu said. ''Of all the animals, Chinese people hate the wolf the most.''
China was a peaceful nation but it would fight to the death if seriously attacked, he said.
Asked about the People's Liberation Army fighting capability, Colonel Liu referred to the PLA department that houses China's strategic missile and nuclear arsenal. He raised a hypothetical scenario that he said would justify a nuclear attack, while clarifying that he was not calling upon China to take such measures.
''If this Japanese wolf again attacks America's Pearl Harbour or Australia's Darwin, how do you know it wouldn't receive another nuclear bomb?'' Colonel Liu said. ''The world would hail if Japan receives such a blow.
''I don't want to mention China here, as it is sensitive,'' he added.
Colonel Liu is one of a group of outspoken hawkish PLA officers who do not claim to speak on behalf of the leadership but are given licence to speak stridently on some issues.
Foreign diplomats say they can serve to provide unofficial warnings, test foreign reactions and rally nationalistic support for the Communist Party or sections of it. Colonel Liu directly warned Australia not to follow the US or Japan into any military conflict with China.
He said Australia should play the role of a ''kind-hearted lamb'' and China would discourage it from being led astray.
''Australia should never play the jackal for the tiger or dance with the wolf,'' he said.
Colonel Liu asked that his message be conveyed directly to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, as she prepares to deliver a major speech on national security. Like her predecessors, Ms Gillard has maintained that Australia will not have to choose between its economic and security interests.
''American hegemony is not at its dawn and not at its zenith,'' Colonel Liu said. ''It is at its sunset and night is coming.''
In separate written comments Colonel Liu said the US was building ''a mini-NATO'' to contain China, with the US and Japan at its core and Australia within its orbit. Hmmmm......Confucius say: If you turn an oriental around, he become disoriented. Read the full story here.

Beijing slams US over island dispute comments

Beijing slams US over island dispute comments.(RT).Beijing has spoken out against Washington’s warning to China not to challenge Japan’s control of disputed islands in the East China Sea – a brewing argument between the two Asian countries that has intensified in recent months.
­The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its displeasure a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Tokyo of American support for its territorial rights and warned China against any unilateral action in the dispute.
On Friday, Clinton in a press conference meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister did not mention China directly but said she wanted the dispute to be resolved peacefully.
"Although the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands, we acknowledge they are under the administration of Japan," Clinton said, adding "we oppose any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration, and we urge all parties to take steps to prevent incidents and manage disagreements through peaceful means."

China is "strongly dissatisfied with and resolutely opposes" the comments made by Clinton, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

The maritime quarrel which has been going on for years intensified last year when Tokyo nationalized the islands. China’s response was to increase maritime and air patrols of the Senkaku /Diaoyu islands. Japan meanwhile sent fighter jets over the disputed territory. No clashes have yet taken place.
"We urge the US side to treat the issue of the Diaoyu islands with a responsible attitude," Qin said, asking Washington to be "careful in words, cautious in actions" and to take "realistic actions to protect the peace and stability of the region and Chinese-US relations."
George Koo, the founder of International Strategic Alliances, believes the US is stoking the conflict between the two Asian powers.
“The US has created this mess and the US is continuing to prolong the problem between the Japan and China. The US is again playing the strategic ambiguity game by on the one hand saying, we’re neutral about this, and we’re not taking sides between China and Japan but on the other hand we recognize that Japan has administrative control and therefore, we would be opposed to any unilateral action. But how did Japan get military control? The US turned it [the islands] over to them. From the beginning to end, the US was responsible for this particular mess,” Koo told RT.
The Islands historically belonged to China for centuries, but Japan assumed control of the territory following 1894-95 Sino-Japanese War.
"After the WWII the terms of unconditional surrender specifically excluded any of the offshore islands as being part of Japan. But somehow the terms of surrender were changed during the peace treaty written in San Francisco. The Chinese had no part in forming of that treaty," Kono explains.
In 1971, the US and Japan agreed on a deal giving Japan so-called "administration" over the islands. Washington insists it is a neutral party in the dispute yet says the islands are under Japan's de facto administration. The islands are believed to be rich in natural resources.Read the full story here.

China-Japan island dispute: Beijing orders helicopter units to be combat ready.

China-Japan island dispute: Beijing orders helicopter units to be combat ready.(TOI).BEIJING: Amid rising tensions with Japan over disputed islands, Chinese army in a bid to scale up battle readiness has ordered its armed helicopters to shift focus from logistic missions and gear up for combat operations.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) planned to change the training strategy of its army aviation unit as more and more armed helicopters joined the service, PLA Daily which is the official newspaper of the military quoted an army aviation unit as saying.
The focus of army aviation unit will be shifted from logistics missions to combat ones, from building the capacity for non-war military actions to core military actions, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the daily as saying.
The unit will work on major missions such as long-distance tasks, large scale offshore operations, attack coordination with other units and large scale airborne operations, it said, adding that the unit will also aim to improve its operation capability based on IT technologies.
Both China and Japan have scaled up military operations after the escalation of the dispute over the islands called Diaoyu by China and Senkakus by Japan. The PLA move comes in the backdrop of recent military drills conducted by the Japanese army helicopters to defend the islands from enemy raids.
Chinese military exercises in recent months involving ships and aircraft focused on taking the islands and retaining them. On January 15, General Staff Headquarters of the PLA had asked commanders and soldiers to strengthen their readiness for possible war with a directive to stage more exercises.
"The General Staff Headquarters of PLA has pledged to stage more military drills that simulate real combat, urging commanders and soldiers to strengthen their readiness for possible war", the PLA daily reported.
All servicemen and servicewomen should always bear in mind the awareness of war and the sense of crisis, the directive said.Hmmmm.......Confucius say: If you turn an oriental around, he become disoriented. Read the full story here.

U.S. stance on disputed islands breaks vow of neutrality: China. - China sends ships in waters around disputed islands.

U.S. stance on disputed islands breaks vow of neutrality: China. - China sends ships in waters around disputed islands.(GM).

Veiled U.S. warnings to Beijing not to challenge Japan’s control of disputed islands encouraged Tokyo’s “dangerously right-leaning” government and “betrayed” Washington’s vow of neutrality, Chinese state media said Saturday.

The comments came as Japan’s coast guard said three Chinese government ships had entered Japanese territorial waters around the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and the Diaoyu in Chinese.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday said the area around the islands in the East China Sea was under Japan’s control and therefore protected under a U.S. security treaty with Tokyo.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington, and without mentioning Beijing directly, she said the U.S. opposed “any unilateral actions” to undermine Japanese authority over the islands.
But in a commentary piece, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua criticised Washington’s position, saying it “cast doubts on [U.S.] credibility as a responsible power in the region.”
It was “unwise” for Washington “to throw support behind Japan in Tokyo’s islands dispute with Beijing”, Xinhua said, adding: “This unbalanced position has betrayed its declared intention to stay neutral on the issue.”
The U.S. proposal for “tighter military alliance with Japan will only encourage Tokyo’s dangerously right-leaning tendency,” Xinhua said.
Three Chinese government surveillance vessels sailed in waters around the disputed islands Saturday for nearly five hours but had all left Japanese waters by 1:52 p.m. (0452 GMT), the Japanese coast guard said.
China has repeatedly sailed into the waters since Japan nationalised the chain in September, a move that triggered anger and demonstrations in China.
The United States insists it is neutral on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands. Hmmmm.....Confucius say: Man who cut self while shaving, lose face. Read the full story here.

Japan to handle 'invasive' jets with int'l standards, China on high alert.

Japan to handle 'invasive' jets with int'l standards, China on high alert.(PD). Edited and Translated by Yao Chun, People's Daily Online.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Japan would react according to the established rules of the Self-Defense Forces and international standards when asked whether Japan will conduct warning shot towards Chinese plane yesterday. Although his answer did not mention the Diaoyu Islands, it sparked the public opinion immediately. Onodera’s words are interpreted by Asahi Shimbun as Japan’s jets will fire tracer bullets to warn Chinese planes. 
On Jan. 15, the reporter from Global Times confirmed from Japanese Defense Ministry that firing light tracers is included in the established rule of Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Light tracer is a signal of attack, said a Chinese expert who has flown planes before. With the increasing tensity in Diaoyu Islands’ dispute, are China and Japan moving toward a terrible war? 

Chinese military expert said that a modern warfare will not be triggered at once and China will not declare war because of a light tracer. But if Japan did so, China would not make concession.

On Jan. 16, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off his trip to Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia after taking office. Global media all associated his trip with the intense state of the Sino-Japanese relationship. They consider the purpose of this action as an attempt to contain China. Even some people in Japan shouted that they want to "encircle China." But some officials of Japanese Foreign Ministry have tried to persuade Abe that containing China is impossible. In response to media reports about Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera’s tough stance toward China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that China is on high alert for Japan’s escalating tensions over the Diaoyu Islands. "China has taken note of relevant reports. The patrol conducted by China's public service ships and planes in waters and airspace of the islands is a normal performance of duty to exercise jurisdiction," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said. He also reiterated China's opposition to Japanese planes and vessels entering the waters and airspace of the Diaoyu Islands.Hmmmm......Confucius say: He who places head in sand, will get kicked in the end! Read the full story here.

Unchartered waters: Japan and China scramble fighter jets in island dispute.

Unchartered waters: Japan and China scramble fighter jets in island dispute.(RT).The standoff between Japan and China escalated to a new level after both sides sent their jets to tail each other in airspace near the cluster of disputed islands that has created tension between the two powers.
A Chinese Y-8 transport plane flew near the vicinity of the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands (as they are known by the Chinese and the Japanese respectively) on what the Defense Ministry in Beijing described as a “routine patrol” on Thursday.
It was immediately tailed by a Japanese F-15. Chinese authorities then ordered two more J-10 planes into the air, to perform “verification and monitoring” on the Japanese aircraft.
"Aircraft from Japan's Self-Defense Forces have intensified their surveillance activities against China, and expanded the area of their scope, disturbing the normal patrols and training of Chinese civilian and military aircraft," said a spokesman from China’s Ministry of Defense.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman followed with another statement, accusing Tokyo of “creating tension”.
Japanese officials responded by claiming that Chinese planes have increasingly intruded into the airspace above the islands, which are currently owned by Japan. They noted that over the past year alone jets protecting the area had to be scrambled over 150 times, though it is not clear how many of those were a reaction to China’s presence.
The Senkaku Islands, located in the East China Sea, have been controlled by Japan since 1895, but China insists that it has historic rights to them dating back to the 16th century. The archipelago, which is halfway between both countries, is currently uninhabited, but the ground below could house significant mineral resources.
"Our stance that we will adamantly protect our waters and territories has not changed at all. As I said before, there is no room for negotiations," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the wake.Read the full story here.

China preparing for War?China Mysteriously Quadruples Rice Imports, Continues to Stockpile Commodities

China preparing for War?China Mysteriously Quadruples Rice Imports, Continues to Stockpile Commodities.HT: JoeMiller.Yesterday, it was reported that China – not currently suffering from any food shortages – is amassing rice stockpiles.
This past year, the country mysteriously imported four times the rice over 2011 purchases: United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011. The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China. The speculation is that Chinese importers are taking advantage of low international prices, but all that means is that China’s own vast supplies of domestically grown rice are being stockpiled.
Why would China suddenly be stockpiling millions of tons of rice for no apparent reason? Perhaps it’s related to China’s aggressive military buildup and war preparations in the Pacific and in central Asia. Read the full story here.

Related: China’s Foreign Ministry rejected Japan’s protest over Chinese maritime surveillance ships’ patrol near a chain of islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing.

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Japan summons Chinese envoy over disputed islands row

Video - China sends patrol ships amid Japan island row.

Video - China sends patrol ships amid Japan island row.(AlJazeera).

China has dispatched two marine surveillance ships to the waters around the Diaoyu islands - known in Japan as the Senkaku islands - in the East China Sea to "assert the country's sovereignty". 

Japan brushed off stern warnings by China on Tuesday and bought the group of islands that both sides claim in a growing dispute that threatens to deepen strains between Asia's two biggest economies. The islands lie around 200km from Taiwan and 2,000km from Tokyo in a strategically important shipping area near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge maritime gas fields. Taiwan recalled its envoy from Japan in reaction to the mounting territorial row over the uninhabited islands. The move came after the Japanese ambassador to Beijing was summoned to the foreign ministry to protest Japan's decision to buy three of the islands. Japan said the islands would formally fall under the remit of its Coast Guard. Tokyo refused to confirm the presence of the Chinese vessels, but said it would deal with them "appropriately" if they come near.
Addressing reporters at a news conference Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said: "If they are indeed entering the waters around the Senkaku Islands, then we will demand they not cross over in to our territorial waters."
Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, said the islands were "an inherent part of China's territory" and vowed his country would "never ever yield an inch" on its sovereignty. China’s foreign minister Timothy Yang said in a statement: "We sternly condemn Japan's nationalising the Diaoyu islands, which is an "We strongly demand that the Japanese government revokes this move. Japan's unilateral and illegal action cannot change the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) owns the Diaoyu islands." Tokyo insists that it has only peaceful intentions behind the 2.05bn yen ($26.18m) purchase of the three islands in the East China Sea, until now leased by the government from a Japanese family that has owned them since early 1970s.Hmmmmm.........Who will be willing to 'loose face'?Read the full story here.