China calls them the Diaoyu Islands, Japan the Senkaku Islands. With a total area of 21 sq km, the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea have been a point of friction when Sino-Japanese relations grow tense and a source of embarrassment when ties turn cordial.
The complexity of the two powers' territorial claims have been compounded by the persistence of activists in Hong Kong and Taiwan in asserting Chinese sovereignty over the islands. Since 1996, they have been conducting expeditions to the islands to press China's claim to them. Ugly clashes between the activists and the Japanese coastguard have caused ructions between Beijing and Taipei and between China and Japan.
Given the feelings of the two peoples and the potential impact of the dispute on Sino-Japanese relations, the Chinese government has handled the issue with care and sensitivity. Mainland authorities have curbed the activities of groups there; the mission of flying Chinese flags on or around the Diaoyus has been left to the activists in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
This year, what should by now be routine trips to the islands by the Hong Kong and Taiwanese activists have hit the rocks.
Since May 2, a fishing vessel rented by Hong Kong activists for the trip has been repeatedly intercepted by the Marine Department before it has been able to leave Hong Kong waters. Marine officials have argued that the boat, the Kai Fung No2, was licensed only for fishing and that they are empowered to stop it leaving Hong Kong for unrelated purposes. Officials also maintain the vessel does not meet safety and fire-prevention requirements.
The activists smell a rat. They told a newspaper that they had been lobbied by a member of the central government's liaison office to cancel the trip.
In Taiwan, activists have encountered difficulty in hiring a vessel and getting permission for the journey.
