China presses Japan over fishing boats in disputed area

The Chinese government has complained to the Japanese government over the presence of Japanese fishing boats near the contested Diaoyu Islands (called the Senkaku Islands in Japan), Reuters reported. “China has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side, and demands Japan immediately withdraws fishing boats from the relevant seas,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on the ministry’s website. The flare-up is part of a long running series of squabbles over the islands, including one incident last year in which a Chinese fishing captain rammed Japanese coast guard ships and was subsequently detained in Japan. The dispute over the Diaoyu-Senkakus has spilled over into trade relations: Last year Beijing appeared to have halted shipments of rare earth metals to Japan over the issue. However, Japanese geologists announced this week that they have discovered massive new deposits of rare earths on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. If commercially viable, the new deposits would expand the world’s proven reserves of the elements 1,000-fold and break China’s current monopoly on the market.