China plans to survey the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea as part of a program to map its territorial islands and reefs.
The news is according to a document issued at a press conference held
by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and
Geoinformation. The program is part of the country’s efforts to
safeguard its maritime rights and interests.
The first stage of the island surveying and mapping project was
launched in 2009. China has already finished mapping islands located
within 100 kilometers of its coastline. The second stage will cover
islands including the Diaoyu Islands.
(Senkaku/Diaoyu issue)
As Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda steps down after exit polls
reveal a complete defeat of his party in parliamentary elections, the
winner of the race Shinzo Abe states that Tokyo won’t concede China "one
millimeter" of “Japan’s islands.”
"China is challenging the fact that (the islands) are Japan's inherent territory. Our objective is to stop the challenge," Shinzo Abe, leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), declared Sunday.
Japan has launched naval drills with the US in spite of heightened
tensions with China over a territorial dispute. The exercise was
initially planned to simulate an island re-occupation, but was scrapped
for naval operations to avoid agitating China.
The 11-day drills are aimed at boosting the defense of Japan’s
southwestern island territories and will involve more than 37,000
Japanese personnel and 10,000 US forces, along with an aircraft carrier.
Operation
Keen Sword was originally planned to incorporate a mission to simulate
the retaking of an island. Although neither the US nor Japan specified
if the mission was aimed at the disputed archipelago “it was widely perceived they had in mind the Senkaku Islands,” said Japanese newspaper Kyodo.
