Rising Tensions in the Spratly Islands – the South China Sea, and the Senkaku Islands or Diaoyu Islands (or Diaoyutai Islands) – the East China Sea

Map showing disputed island groups in the South China Sea. Last week, Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga denounced China for sending ships to carry out seismic studies in the Paracels zone, which "violated Vietnam's indisputable sovereignty". Photo / Vietnam, US display military ties amid China tension, France24, August 10, 2010.

The following collection of articles and essays address various aspects of the issues surrounding disputes in both the Spratly Islands – the South China Sea, and the Senkaku Islands or Diaoyu Islands (or Diaoyutai Islands) – the East China Sea.

– M. Ulric Killion

• China spars with Vietnam in South China Sea
• Vietnam’s Dr Strangelove at war with the Mandarins
• China urged to shed ambiguity on maritime claims
• Vietnamese rail against PRC amid mounting tensions
• Chinese jet fighters patrol Spratly Islands
• China rebukes U.S. over South China Sea disputes
• Vietnam in live-fire drill amid South China Sea row
• Rising South China Sea Tensions
• Stop oil searches in Spratlys, China tells its Asian neighbors
• Sea dispute a real test for China
• Chinese History And Reality
• Vietnamese take to streets against China’s "imperialism" over maritime borders
• Beijing is stoking tensions in South China Sea: Hanoi
• Vietnam exploration in China’s sea opposed
• Philippines and China spar over Spratleys, again
• Japan minister’s China remarks ‘inappropriate’
• China yearns for peace on southern flank
• Taiwan advised to be aggressive on South China Sea dispute
• Deploy marines: KMT lawmaker
• Big-War Thinking in a Small-War Era – The Rise of the AirSea Battle Concept
• Red Wings Ascendant: The Chinese Air Force Contribution to Antiaccess
• Gates reiterates US’ Taiwan policy
• China Expands Naval Presence through Jeddah Port Call
• RSIS Working Paper – Recent Developments in the South China Sea: Grounds for Cautious Optimism?
• China reveals aircraft carrier ambitions
• MOFA silent on Chinese patrol boats
• Andaman Command Key To Checkmate China Strategy
• PLA takes hard line in East China Sea
• China’s “string of pearls”
• Indonesia may join Vietnam in patrolling South China Sea
• Photos provide clues for Chinese Type 056 corvette design
• Beijing’s Coastal Real Estate
• Diaoyu are sovereign: Beijing
• The Kurile Islands: a Key to Russia’s Maritime Nuclear Strategy
• Checking China’s Territorial Moves
• Gates Warns China on Naval Aggression
• Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台): “Japan worried over ROC interpretation”
• Asia’s New Cold War
• Japan Country Analysis Brief Released – September 2010
• South China Sea issues are hurt by US: Experts
• China beefs up its offshore law enforcement
• Diaoyu dispute sowed by US
• China postpones East China Sea negotiation with Japan after boat seizure
• Japan’s trial of boat captain will harm ties: China
• Japan Arrests Chinese Fishing Boat Captain Amid China Protests
• Submarine erects Chinese flag on seabed of contested South China Sea
• New missile bases expand China’s reach
• Japan to Stage Drill in Response to Chinese Naval Buildup
• Taiwan and the Changing Strategic Balance in the East China Sea
• The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands Dispute