ABSTRACT
The recurring dispute over the Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai/Senkaku rocks conducted between Japan, (the People’s Republic of) China and Taiwan/Republic of China raises important issues of territorial sovereignty claims, access to maritime (fisheries and petroleum) resources, and the strategic sensitivities of these countries. The relevance of the dispute lies in its implications for the wider context of the countries’ approaches to other outstanding maritime and island disputes, and the way in which the issue has been, and will be, exploited by domestic political groups to further their own objectives, in spite of attempts by the governments to play down the incidents in the interest of overall foreign relations, economic ties and regional stability.
