Influence game in the Diaoyu Islands: China, Japan and the United States
Author
Gabaldon Colomina, Yaiza
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Abstract
This thesis examines the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute between China and Japan in the East China Sea—eight uninhabited islets under Japanese administration but claimed by both since the 1970s—and asks why it has become a security issue in twenty-first-century Sino-Japanese relations. Anchored in the law of the sea (UNCLOS), the historical background (including Japan’s 1895 annexation, U.S. administration after World War II and reversion in 1972, and a 1968 resource survey), and key escalatory episodes (the 2010 collision, Japan’s 2012 nationalization, and China’s 2013 Air Defense Identification Zone), the study analyzes China’s and Japan’s historical and legal claims, domestic drivers such as nationalism and economic considerations, and the role of the U.S.–Japan alliance in a dispute often framed as bilateral. The theoretical framework draws on alliance theory, securitization/desecuritization, and theories of national identities, and the analysis references official documents and reports, media accounts, and scholarly sources to trace positions and interactions over time. The excerpt outlines scope, questions, and approach but does not present findings; the study aims to clarify how sovereignty, resources, symbolism, and alliance commitments shape the security dynamics around the islands and affect regional stability.
Specialet undersøger striden om Diaoyu/Senkaku-øerne mellem Kina og Japan i Det Østkinesiske Hav—otte ubeboede øer under japansk administration, men gjort krav på af begge parter siden 1970’erne—og spørger, hvorfor denne tvist er blevet et sikkerhedsanliggende i det 21. århundredes sino-japanske relationer. Med udgangspunkt i havretten (UNCLOS), den historiske baggrund (bl.a. Japans annektering i 1895, USA’s administration efter Anden Verdenskrig og tilbagelevering i 1972, samt ressourcestudier i 1968) og centrale eskalationer (kollision i 2010, japansk nationalisering i 2012 og kinesisk luftidentifikationszone i 2013) analyserer specialet Kinas og Japans historiske og juridiske begrundelser, indenrigspolitiske drivkræfter som nationalisme og økonomi samt betydningen af USA–Japan-alliansen for en konflikt, der ofte fremstilles som bilateral. Det teoretiske rammeværk omfatter allianceteori, sekuritisering/desekuritisering og teorier om nationale identiteter, og analysen trækker på officielle dokumenter og rapporter, mediedækning og akademiske kilder for at kortlægge positioner og interaktioner over tid. Uddraget indeholder problemstilling, kontekst og tilgang, men ikke endelige resultater; studiet sigter mod at afklare, hvordan suverænitet, ressourcer, symbolik og allianceforpligtelser former sikkerhedsdynamikkerne omkring øerne og påvirker regional stabilitet.
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