ABSTRACT
The sovereignty dispute over the Senkaku/Diao yu Islands is one of the most contentious in East Asia. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) have each laid similar claims to the islands in an issue that remains unresolved with Japan. The conflict has periodically hampered Sino-Japanese relations since the resurgence of the issue in the early 1970s. The PRC and Japan were able to shelve the debate to normalize their relations in 1972. Yet, the hope of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping that a future generation would be able to resolve the matter has been left unrealized. Historical enmity combined with rising nationalist and material interests has led one analyst to proclaim that “if there is a flashpoint to ignite a third Sino-Japanese War, it will be the ownership of the Diao yu Islands in the East China Sea.”1
