The China-Japan Dispute Isn't Getting Any Better, And Now Taiwan Is Jumping Into The Fray

10-10-2012 • businessinsider.com, Mike Mish Shedlock

Bloomberg reports Japan Calls China PBOC Chief Skipping IMF Meeting ‘Regrettable’

A decision by the Chinese central bank chief and finance minister not to attend International Monetary Fund meetings in Tokyo this week is “regrettable,” Japan’s finance minister said, as tensions lingered over an island dispute.

The Chinese move follows Japan’s decision last month to buy the islands from their private owner, a purchase that sparked protests in China and clouded a $340 billion trade relationship. The protests occurred as China, which begins a leadership transition next month, has been more forceful in making its territorial claims across the region.

The Chinese decision is the latest sign that the tension from the territorial dispute between the two countries hasn’t been contained. Japan’s move to buy the islands sparked the worst crisis in bilateral relations since 2005.

An NHK poll published today showed 44 percent of Japanese respondents think the government should prioritize improving relations with China, while 41 percent think it should take a tougher stance. The telephone survey, conducted Oct. 6-9, obtained 1,056 responses and didn’t give a margin of error.