Russia Plays Both Sides in Asia Island Row

It has become clear that China intends to wage a prolonged war of psychological attrition against Japan with regard to the disputed Senkaku Islands, a crisis with profound international repercussions. Russia’s position in this struggle, therefore, provides a revealing picture of its foreign policy goals and tactics in Asia, a rising priority in Moscow’s foreign policy. In September 2010, China and Russia jointly published a statement supporting each other’s claims to islands contested by Japan, namely the Kurile Islands that Russia now possesses and the Senkaku or Diaoutyi islands that China claims, respectively (Daily Yomiuri Online, September 28, 2010). This agreement was part of a broader Sino-Russian alliance reaffirming both sides’ mutual support for each other’s core interests (Xinhua, September 28, 2010).