(1) Sovereignty disputes and related maritime jurisdictional disputes over the Senkaku (Diaoyudao) Islands between China and Japan in the East China Sea. The Senkaku Islands consisted of five uninhabited islets and three barren rocks, located approximately 120 nautical miles northeast of Tiawan, and about 200 nautical miles of Okinawa. China holds that the islands "have been an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient time, and appertain to China's Taiwan",² and that it were ceded to Japan together with Taiwan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese war. After the end of the Second World War, according to Cairo and Potsdam Declarations, Japan returned all territories that it seized from China. Naturally the Diaoyudao Islands should be returned to China together with Taiwan. In this respect, Beijing and Taipei hold the same view and same position. But Japan holds that the Senkakus are Japanese territory. The Japanese arguments are: those small islands were "land belonging to no country" until 1984, they were discovered by a Ryukyu fisherman and were incorporate into the Prefecture of Okinawa by the decision of the Japanese government in 1985. This is the only territorial sovereignty dispute between China and Japan after World War II. It has been intensified after 1970s time and again. In 1970, there was a big "baodiao" (protecting the Diaoyudao Islands) campaign bursting out in Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas Chinese. At that time China was bogged in the "Cultural Revolution", the Chinese government issued a strong statement to reemphasize China's sovereignty over the Diaoyudao Islands, yet at that time the ordinary Chinese people on the mainland, occupied by the troubles and sufferings in the "Cultural Revolution" paid less attention to the problem. However, the "baodiao" movement was really a very big campaign in Chinese all over the world. In 1990, 1997, 1998, due to the provocative activities of some Japanese rightists ― they planned to build a lighthouse on the island as a landmark of Japan, the disputes were intensified once again and the "baodiao" movement remerged in Chinese. Later under pressure the Japanese government showed restrain and took some measures to limit the rightists' activities, thus subsided the situation. Up to date, the dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands remains a thorny issue between the two neighboring countries.

　

(2) Sovereignty disputes and related maritime jurisdictional disputes over the Spratly (Nansha) Islands between China and some Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea

　

(3) Continental shelf demarcation disputes in the East China Sea between China and Japan. The East China Sea Basin covers about 300000 square kilometers. It is shallow, with water depth of less than 200m, except in the Okinawa Trough along the Japanese coast. Here the distance between the Chinese and Japanese land nowhere exceeds 400 miles Regarding the demarcation of the Continental shelf China adheres to the natural prolongation of land territory principle, holding that "The East China Sea continental shelf is the natural extension of the Chinese continental territory."⁶ According to China's claim, the Chinese continental shelf extends all the way to the axis of the Okinawa Trough. Japan stands for the equidistant line for its continental shelf. The equidistant line between the undisputed islands of Japan and the Chinese mainland leaves an area of 9000 square nautical miles of the Asian continental shelf landward of the 200 meter isobaths on the Japanese side of the line.⁷ Thus, a large overlapping area occurs between China's claims and Japan's claims Besides, there is also an overlap between Japanese and South Korean's claims, but they have exercised a joint development zone since 1974. China has denounced the joint development agreement as a violation of its rights China says, "It stands to reason that the question of how to divide those parts of the continental shelf in the East China sea involving other countries should be decided by China and the related countries through consultations."⁸

　

(4) Continental shelf demarcation disputes between China and the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea. With an area of about 400000 square kilometers, the Yellow Sea is enclosed by Korea on the east and by China on the west and north. China claims most of the intervening Yellow Sea continental shelf based on the principle of natural prolongation of land territory. However, within the Bay of Korea (in the northern part of the Yellow Sea), China upholds an equidistant line as the demarcation between China and Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. The two Koreas adopt the median line principle for seabed demarcation. In 1977, DPRK defined its economic zone outer limit based upon "the half-line of the sea". ROK has staked out unilaterally four sea-bed oil tracts in the Yellow Sea based on the median line principle, assuming their seaward limit would constitute the boundary of the continental shelf shared with China. For the Bay of Korea Basin, a boundary along the silt line would give almost the entire basin to North Korea. However, if the boundary were the equidistant line, most of the basin would fall to China.

　

(5) Disputes over the military and semi-military activities in the economic exclusive zone (EEZ) with the United States. The EEZ is a specific water area different from territorial seas and from high seas. According to UNCLOS, the coastal state has sovereign rights over the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources and has jurisdiction over marine scientific research, the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures and the protection of the marine environment.⁹ UNLCOS also stipulates that in the EEZ, all states enjoy freedom of navigation and freedom of over flight, and in exercising their rights in the zone, "states shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal state and shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal state in accordance with the provisions of this Convention and other rules of international laws in so far they are not incompatible with this part."¹⁰ Now the problem is whether military and semi-military activities in the EEZ without the consent of the coastal state are legal or not. In this regard, China does have differences with the United States. The United States has conducted surveillance or spying activities off the coasts of other countries frequently. One report said that the United States flies more than 400 reconnaissance missions per year around China, an average of over one per day. China regards those activities are violations of the UNCLOS and infringes of China's jurisdictional rights, but the United States holds that the EEZ belonging to "international water", and its reconnaissance missions in the EEZ of other countries are totally "legal". These disputes might intensify sometimes and lead to a crisis or semi-crisis, the EP-3E incident occurred on April 1, 2001 is a salient instance.