Anti-Japan protests turn violent in China, at the Japan Embassy in Beijing (NHK)
Some protestors opposed to Japan's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands are turning violent in several Chinese cities.
Demonstrations were called via the Internet for at least 17 cities across the country on Saturday. It's the first weekend since the Japanese government nationalized the islands in the East China Sea.
Protests began in front of the Japanese Embassy in the capital, Beijing, on Saturday morning.
Some protestors are hurling eggs and plastic bottles toward the embassy's compound.
The number of protestors rose to several thousand. Some of them tried to storm into the embassy, resulting in a skirmish with hundreds of police officers.
In the inland city of Chongqing, a thousand-strong rally was held in front of the building housing the Japanese Consulate. Some participants turned violent, striking the building's windows with a steel pipe and breaking a sign at a parking lot.
The consulate is on the top floor, the 37th. Officials say no damage was done to their office.
In another inland city, Xian in the province of Shaanxi, around 2,000 people are demonstrating, holding signs with the message that the islands belong to China.
Some protestors smashed windows of a Japanese-made patrol car and a passenger vehicle on the streets.
In Changsha in the inland province of Hunan, more than 3,000 demonstrators have reportedly been stopped by police in front of a Japanese-affiliated supermarket.
In the southern city of Dongguan in Guangdong province, windows were broken at a Japanese restaurant.
Postings on the Internet indicate that rallies are also being held in other cities.
Sep. 15, 2012 - Updated 05:49 UTC (14:49 JST)
NHK - Security remains tight to control anti-Japan protests in China over the Senkaku islands
The Chinese government seems to have finally understood that their Japan bashing solicitation with the riots and looting of Japanese business established in China is hurting its economy and image. Investors are increasingly looking elsewhere to invest amidst the political instability and aggressiveness of China.
The assertiveness Chinese government is showing to take over a land that does not belong to them, purely out of petroleum interest is reflective of a Fascist State.
More on this here : (5 Reasons Why the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands are NOT Chinese Territory)
Nobody cared about those islands until 1970 after a United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE)[1] report stated there is a strong possibility for petroleum and natural gas to be under those islands. Foreign estimates of potential oil reserves on the shelf have gone as high as 100 billion barrels. (Saudi Arabia has proven and probable oil reserves of 261.7 billion barrels and the United States 22 billion)[2]. Then, suddenly China starts claiming sovereignty over those islands. But here is the real kicker. China actually claims those islands are part of their province of Taiwan. Yes, you read correctly, but Taiwan is an independent state. So what ? China does not recognize Taiwan either... This is a complete Chinese delusional scenario where they claim unilaterally things to be in a way that fits their interests. More on this here on the Japan Ministry Of Foreign Affair :
or on Wikipedia :
Professor Masao Shimojo[3] is making the case backed with evidence that it was after the Qing Dynasty establishment of the province of Taiwan that Taiwan became part of Chinese territory. In the Map of the Great Ming (Foreigners Section) compiled by the government in 1461 during the Ming Dynasty, the Penghutao (Pescadores) Islands, located between Fuchien Province and Taiwan, are a possession of the Ryukyus.
And also that there is the Map of the Great Qing, geographical recognition that Jilongshan and Jilong Castle mark the northern boundary of Taiwan, and the Senkaku islands are nowhere on the map as a territory of Taiwan.[4]
The bottom line is that it was Terra Nullius (no man's land) until 1885 (before Sino-Japanese war) when Japan decided to integrate them to its territory.
And now, there are even officials of the Chinese Army like Major General Jin Yinan, the director of China's National Defense Strategy Institute, who went on a state-owned radio program in July 2012 and declared that the Senkakus AND all of Okinawa be returned to China. He argued that the Japanese occupation of Okinawa was illegal and that the islands should become a Chinese vassal state.
The richest petroleum deposits in the East China Sea are believed to be concentrated in the Okinawa Trough, a geomorphic depression in the seabed at the eastern edge of the continental shelf west of the Ryukyu islands. [5]
[1] (accessed 23 September 2012)
[2] Selig S. Harrison, 'Seabed Petroleum in Northeast Asia: Conflict or Cooperation?' p. 5 (accessed 23 September 2012)
[3] Pr Masao Shimojo, It's a sheer lie that the Senkaku Islands have been Chinese territory since the Ming Dynasty (accessed 9 september 2012)
[4] Ibid
[5] Selig S. Harrison, 'Seabed Petroleum in Northeast Asia: Conflict or Cooperation?' p. 6 (accessed 23 September 2012)
Original comment from NHK :
Chinese authorities continue to enforce tight security and prevent any demonstrations from becoming violent. The move shows they are worried that sour relations with Japan may hurt China's economy.
Major rallies were not reported on Saturday amid tight security by police. However, minor protests were staged in Shanghai and elsewhere.
Demonstrations were organized on the Internet for Sunday in Guangdong and Anhui provinces. Police in Guangdong are calling for restraint and telling people to study or work.
Japan's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands earlier this month triggered protests across China. The islands in the East China Sea are also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Some demonstrations turned violent last weekend, with protesters setting fire to factories and looting stores run by Japanese-affiliated firms.
The Chinese government recently began acting to prevent any protests from escalating, apparently in response to concerns that more violence could harm not only its economy, but also the country's image.
Sep. 22, 2012 - Updated 23:59 UTC (08:59 JST)