The landing of several Hong Kong residents on the Diaoyutai islands in a move to safeguard Chinese sovereignty has gained wide media coverage in the past few days. The position of the authorities in Taiwan and mainland China can be expressed in three stages of escalating assertiveness. First is the basic level of "vocal claims" to reassert sovereignty over the disputed islets via their respective foreign ministries. The second phase involves "action" to safeguard the security of their own nationals and vessels to avoid arrest and damage by people and ships from Japan. The highest and also the most dangerous level involves the use of force.
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