Why The U.S. Cares About Uninhabited Islands in the East China Sea

Image courtesy of Wikimedia via Creative
Commons License, Jackopoid

Yesterday, Eric Posner wrote a compelling and helpful article on Slate about the simmering conflict between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands (or Diaoyu Islands from the Chinese perspective). In his analysis Japan has the stronger claim by International Law, but also concedes that such norms men little to China, and that much of geopolitics is still might makes right.

While friction between China and Japan warrants international attention, both diplomatic and otherwise, why strategically, should the Unites States care? The primary reason is that the first major crisis to test the “pivot to Asia” that President Obama has initiated may not happen in North Korea, but in the East China Sea.

The islands aren’t just the subject of a dispute between staunch U.S. ally Japan and longtime “frenemy” China, but are also hugely symbolically important to Taiwan and its international status. These islands are 170 km off the coast of Taiwan. China’s claims to the islands rest on the islands being part of the breakaway province of Taiwan. Taiwan of course still considers itself the rightful government of all of China in exile, in its official rhetoric, but popular opinion favors a Taiwan as an independent country. Taiwan also thinks the islands belong to it.

While the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the official government of China, the Taiwan straight has long been a line in the sea that the U.S. does not want Beijing to cross. Conflict between any of these actors would bring the U.S. into conflict with China as a result of treaty obligations and strategic interest. The situation is not completely dissimilar to the global web of alliances that helped bring about World War I.

The islands are used as fishing grounds and may have a variety of oil and natural gas deposits, but mostly they are symbolic of global and regional strength. China is still trying to overcome its epoch of humiliation when Japan and the Western powers exploited a weak and corrupt government.

Whatever happens here, the strength of the U.S.’s commitment to its pivot to Asia will be tested.

Another excellent article about this conflict can be found at the National Geographic website.
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Jason McBride is the creator of the Intellectual Ninja and the Scourge of Scoundrels series. He is also the author of Watch Out For Sneaker Waves. He is currently hard at work on his first book of fiction, available Spring 2014.

He is the proud father of four amazing children and the happy husband of one wife. He aspires to be an extreme sleeper.