Civilian association applies for legal lease of Diaoyu Islands to develop tourism

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Civilian association applies for legal lease of Diaoyu Islands to develop tourism

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According to Tong Zeng who's just been recommended as President of the Chinese Civilian Association for Safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands, he will apply in accordance with the law for the leasing of the Diaoyu Islands. When acquired the right of leasing he's going to reclaim and develop the islands for the operation of tourism industry.

At the end of 2003 there witnessed a resurgence of the Chinese the worldwide for safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands. A "Forum of the Chinese on the Globe for Safeguarding Diaoyu Islands" was held from Dec 26 to 28 in Xiamen (Amoy). Personages for safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands have not only passed unanimously the "Declaration for Safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands" but also set up a coordinating organization of the personages on the Chinese mainland for safeguarding the Islands - the Preparatory Committee of Chinese Civilian Association for Safeguarding Diaoyu Islands. Tong Zeng was recommended as the president at the very meeting.

As reported, Tong Zeng is the right person as expected to be the President of the Chinese Civilian Association for Safeguarding Diaoyu Islands. In March 1991, it was Tong Zeng who took the lead to present a "Ten-Thousand-Word Appeal" entitled "For China to demand Japan to compensate the Chinese sufferers should in no way be delayed" in which he aired for the first time his view demanding Japan for the compensation. The Chinese government has the right to give up the "War Indemnity" yet the Chinese people have the right to demand the Japanese government for "compensation of the war sufferers". As Tong Zeng put forward, there are theories of war indemnity and compensation for war sufferers in accordance with the international law. This has roused among the Chinese civilians the campaign of claiming to Japan for the compensation, thus opening up a road for the Chinese sufferers of the war to uphold justice. With regard to this Tong Zeng became the first person who opened up the road for Chinese civilians to demand Japan for compensation and considered by the latecomers as predecessor and founder for the Chinese civilians to demand Japan for the compensation.

The Diaoyu Islands are part of the Chinese territory no matter how to judge them in the source of history, or in line with the international law and the geographical framework. The problem of the Diaoyu Islands came into being after the end of World War II. By the end of 1960s and the beginning of 1970s Japan played a trick asking the US to put the administrative right of the Diaoyu Islands under its mandate and it was given to Japan in an improper way. The behavior has gone against the "Cairo Declaration" and the "Potsdam Proclamation", thereby rousing the unanimous protests of the Chinese people both in China and in the world. The Chinese government at that time lodged a strong condemnation against it. Since 1971 the Chinese in New York of the USA launched the campaign for safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands the Chinese people the world over set up organizations for the protection of the Islands one after the other. They have come to more than 200 at its climax period in which the campaign for the Chinese people the world over to safeguard the Diaoyu Islands have become a prairie fire. And then the campaign has entered a somewhat quiet period. Starting from the late period of 1990s Japan conducted its activities on the Diaoyu Islands in a brazen and flagrant way. For many a time it has staged events on the Islands, setting up shrines and beacons and even warding off Chinese citizens from setting foot on the Islands with large group of warships. This has roused again the campaign for safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands from among the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and the people from Hong Kong and elsewhere.

With regard to the campaign for safeguarding the Diaoyu Islands in the 21st century Tong Zeng is full of confidence. "To safeguard the Diaoyu Islands is not only a question for civilians but the Chinese government has always been holding the stand that the Islands are the innate Chinese territory. On the problem of safeguarding the territorial integrity the Chinese government holds a clear-cut stand and a great determination and has a complete set of measures to deal with the problem. Therefore to safeguard the security of the Diaoyu Islands is not only the struggle between the Chinese civilians against the Japanese army but actually it is a very strong force constituting of all the Chinese people and the people at home and abroad. Though now we start to set out first we are backed by the whole Chinese people and the Chinese all over the world and so we are quite self-confident about it".

By People's Daily Online

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