Military conflict - China and Japan over disputed islands claim - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

A war between China and Japan looms, as neither power is willing to back down over ownership of a disputed chain of islands, an expert has warned. China ’s most influential foreign policy strategists and a noted hawk Yan Xuetong warned that unless one side backs down, there could be a repeat of the Falklands Conflict in Asia . “There is a danger of China and Japan having a military conflict,” Xuetong said. “One country must make a concession. But I do not see Japan making concessions. I do not see either side making concessions. Both sides want to solve the situation peacefully, but neither side can provide the right approach,” he added. “Generally speaking, according to the theory of international relations, unless one country makes concessions to the other, the escalation of a conflict between two countries will not stop until there is a military clash, like between the UK and Argentina,” the Telegraph quoted him, as saying. He said that China has a very tolerant policy elsewhere, with smaller powers, but the case with Japan is different. “There is history between us. Japan is a big power. It regards itself as a regional, and sometimes a world power. So China can very naturally regard Japan as an equal. And, if we are equal, you cannot poke us. You cannot make a mistake,” he added. According to the report, Yan predicted that if there was a military confrontation between China and Japan , the United States would not physically intervene. "I do not think they will send soldiers to fight against the People's Liberation Army," he said, adding: "They [the US ] will be involved, but they can be involved in many different ways, providing intelligence, ammunition, political support, logistical help and so on."

Military conflict ‘looms’ between China and Japan over disputed islands claim: Expert