I have a concern about hegemonic China. China started to insist recently that Okinotorishima Island is not an island but a mere rock and Japan can't insist on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around it. Okinotorishima Island is acknowledged as an island internationally. No matter how much noise Beijing makes, it is an island if the surface of land is above the sea at high tide according to international definition.
Mischief Reef, that has belonged to the Philippine's EEZ for a long time, has been dominated by China since 1995. This Reef goes under sea level at high tide. China built military facilities on the reef, pouring concrete over the reef in 1995. The funny thing is that China calls this reinforced reef a kind of an island and calls these facilities a shelter for the fisheries. Besides, China insists on their EEZ around this artificially elevated area which was captured from the Philippines.
China is so naughty and difficult to deal with. They complain about Okinotorishima, the surface of which is above the sea even at high tide. On the other hand they occupy Mischief Reef, which goes under the sea at high tide. Can you accept these facts? What do you think about their opinion? It sounds paradoxical. As an aside, the Paracel Islands were occupied by China in 1974.
The victim of the hegemonism of China is not exclusive to Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Prime Minister of Nepal, Koirala, spouted off at a news conference, "No one had climbed Mt.Everest from the Chinese side. Nevertheless, why does China request that mountain. How would they explain that?" I expect China to act with civilized words and acts.
(English Version) http://www.geocities.jp/baud_2005/tx310.swf
(Chinese Version) http://www.geocities.jp/baud_2005/tx310c1.swf
(Vocabulary)
exclusive 締め出す、中に入れない、排外的な、排他的な、唯一の、一つだけの
Comments