Question of the Senkaku Islands

Dispute
My

name
Rory
Copeland and I am
Head Chair of the Security
Council.

is
the

The debate I will be chairing will be on the

Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands Dispute, which is currently a
highly contentious issue in East Asia, and beyond.
The Islands
The Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands (the Islands) are located
in the East China Sea between Japan, the People's Republic of
China (China), and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The
archipelago contains five uninhabited islands and three barren
rocks.
Summary of the Issue
A dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands is putting
the political and economic stability of East-Asia at risk. China,
Taiwan and Japan all claim ownership of the Islands, which are
of economic and strategic value. Recent actions taken by the
feuding governments have raised tensions in the region. War
and economic turmoil could result if the dispute is not settled
quickly and fully.

Background to the Issue

History

1534 China and Taiwan (then the same country) claim to have
discovered the Islands, and begin to refer to them as home
territory.
1895 The Treaty of Shimonoseki transfers ownership of the
island of Taiwan and the surrounding islands to Japan, following
Japans victory over China in the Sino-Japanese War. Japan now
claims that the Senkaku Islands formed part of this transfer.
1945 Japan is defeated by USA and China in World War II. USA
becomes the administrator of the Islands.
1969 The United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and
the Far East (ECAFE) identifies potential oil and gas reserves in
the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands.
1971 The Peoples Republic of China (China) replaces the
Republic of China (Taiwan) as the official representative of
China in the UN Security Council.
1972 USA gives control of the Islands to Japan. China and
Taiwan formally dispute the sovereignty of the Islands.
1972 Present Several rounds of bilateral talks considering
the joint development of sub-seabed resources around the
Island take place, but none succeed.
Current Situation

Under international law, the Islands are part of the territory of

Japan, and they are currently owned by the Japanese
Government. Through its sovereignty of the Islands, Japan also
has Exclusive Economic Rights to approximately 20,000 square
nautical miles of undersea resources. The Islands are also close
to shipping lanes, making them of even greater value.
China and Taiwan, however, both claim ownership of the
islands, too. Each partys claim rests on differing interpretations
of the treaties that ended the Sino-Japanese War and the

Second World War, as well as of the customary international law

of territorial acquisition.
Since September 2012, when the Japanese Government bought
the three islets that it did not already own from a private
landlord, there have been numerous anti-Japanese protests in
China. There has been a drop in Japanese exports to China, and
of Chinese tourists to Japan. On December 13, 2012, a Chinese
government aircraft intruded into Japanese airspace for the first
time since 1958.
The Debate
The aim of the debate is to bring an end to the dispute over the
ownership of the Islands through political and diplomatic
consensus.
The aim of this debate is not to decide the legal ownership of
the Islands. It is clear that the losing side will dispute the
decision in any case, and that a decision may do the region
more harm than good.
Possible Solutions
There are a number of possible solutions to this problem. They
could be economically focused; perhaps you, the delegates, will
aim to succeed where previous seabed development talks have
failed. You may aim to carve up the islands according to each
contenders needs, or to put them to use for a collective goal.
You will need creative and pragmatic solutions.

A Further Point
The Republic of China, Taiwan, is not a member state of the
United Nations, and many countries around the world do not
recognise it as being a country, but it claims ownership of the
Islands. If it is a country, it should be admitted to the United
Nations, and may stake a claim to these Islands. Its right to
Statehood rests on differing interpretations of the Montevideo
Convention, and its UN membership application is not an issue
that we will have time to consider in our debate. It is up to

Taiwans allies (i.e. those who recognise it as a country) to

decide whether or not to argue in favour of its claim. Other
countries should still consider Taiwans claim when attempting
to resolve the ownership debate, regardless of whether they
recognise Taiwans Statehood.
The details I have outlined above only scratch the surface of
this problem, and I hope you will carry out some further
research on the issue. A firm understanding will ensure a good
debate and most likely a good outcome; a lack of knowledge
will make both harder to achieve.
Here are some websites which should aid you in researching
both your country and this topic:
Topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute#Alternativ
e_approaches
http://www.economist.com/search/apachesolr_search/Senkaku
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asiapacific/japan/121215/senkaku-islands-dispute-diplomacy-USjapan-china
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/look-out-for-thediaoyu-islands/
http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/energy/2012/10/121
026-east-china-sea-dispute/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203922804578
082371509569896.html
(Regular Google News-ing the issue will ensure that you
remain up to date with what is an evolving topic)
Country:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/
http://www.economist.com/news/world-week/21568439-politicsweek
(Google News will, again, give you a good general insight into
the current affairs of your country)

Resolutions and Policy Statements

This is by no means a straightforward topic, but I would urge
every delegate to try to write a resolution. Even if your
resolution isnt chosen to be debated, you will still have a
healthy ammunition of solutions to present as amendments.
I will offer all delegates the opportunity to present a Policy
Statement to the Security Council. This is a document of no
more than 100 words which will allow you to outline your
countrys views on both the subject of this briefing paper and
the other topic we will be debating, as well as to say hello to
your fellow delegates and to inspire them to work with you to
resolve the issues at hand.
Please email me with your resolutions, policy statements and
any questions you may have at: rcopeland532@msn.com.
Now, as you begin to consider your research, I hope the
following quotation from Deng Xiaoping, one of the negotiators
who first confronted the Island dispute in 1972, will serve as
motivation to you:
"It does not matter if this question is shelved for some
time, say, 10 years. Our generation is not wise enough to
fi nd common language on this question. Our next
generation will certainly be wiser. They will certainly fi nd
a solution acceptable to all."
I look forward to witnessing what Im sure will be a great debate
and a final resolution that would make Mr Xiaoping proud.
Good Luck!
Rory