Tensions continue to escalate between China and its neighbors, as the Middle Kingdom clashes with Japan over the contested Diaoyu Islands. A Shanghai bishop is missing after quitting the state-run Catholic Patriotic Association during his own ordination.

Top Stories for the week of July 9, 2012 in the People’s Republic of China

China-Japan island disputes escalate, raise concerns of potential American intervention

Three Chinese fishery patrol boats entered the waters near the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on July 10, resulting in an escalation of tensions between the two countries over the five resource-rich islands’ sovereignty. Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo on July 11 to protest against the alleged violation of Japanese territorial waters, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the rebuke, stating Beijing does not “accept a representation lodged by the Japanese side over the issue” while reiterating Chinese sovereignty over the islands. Japan is calling for American backing over the territorial dispute based upon US-Japan Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty, sparking anxiety in China regarding potential US intervention. In response, China’s official news agency claims that any US-Japan private dealing concerning the islands is “illegal and invalid.” (The Telegraph, July 11; BBC, China Daily, July 12)

China cooperates with ASEAN and the US to cool down tensions in the region

On July 12 China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton pledged to take cooperative action on Asian issues in the ASEAN Forum in Cambodia, after China expressed its willingness to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries amid recent regional tension in the disputed South China Sea. In the Forum, foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries adopted key elements of a code of conduct for resolving territorial disputes in the contested South China Sea and, with the support of the US, they are calling on China to accept these new rules. China is willing to discuss the code, but stresses that it is only designed to promote mutual trust between the concerned parties rather than to solve territorial disputes. While demonstrating cooperation with ASEAN and the US, Beijing insists on negotiating the South China Sea issue with its neighbors bilaterally. (Council on Foreign Relations, July 10; BBC, China Daily, Reuters, July 12)

Chinese bishop missing after breaking ties with state-controlled church

Chinese Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daquin has not been seen since his ordination on July 7, during which he announced his decision to leave the state-run Catholic Patriotic Association. Ma, whose ordination was approved by the Pope in Rome, has reportedly been placed under house arrest. China and the Vatican have not had diplomatic relations since 1949, and the Vatican remains one of the few states to preserve formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The ordination of bishops has further strained relations between China and the Vatican, with Catholics in China divided between the state-sanctioned church and an “underground” wing that believes Rome should be the authority on religious matters. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Pope is viewed as the supreme authority, while China views this as an invasion of sovereignty. Ma is reportedly being held in isolation at a seminary, although the Shanghai diocese claims he is merely “resting” on a retreat. On July 11 the Patriotic Association announced it has begun investigating “violations of regulations” that purportedly occurred during Ma’s selection. (Reuters, July 9; Washington Post, July 12)

Forced abortion case settled for $11,000, criminal charges unlikely

On July 11, Deng Jiyuan, husband to Feng Jianmei—the women illegally forced by government officials to abort her seven-month old fetus on June 2—announced that they will receive a cash settlement of $11,000 from the Shaanxi local government for the incident—Shaanxi Province is located in northwestern China. According to the couple’s lawyer, Feng Jianmei and her husband have given up their pursuance of a criminal case because they do not expect to receive the necessary help from local law enforcement to do so. The Chinese government has fired two officials and sanctioned five others over the incident. Feng’s forced abortion garnered international attention when pictures of Feng and her aborted child circulated on the internet in China. (New York Times, July 11; China Digital Times, July 12)

Summaries by Emily Calvert, Robert Hinck, and Christina Zhao, interns with The Carter Center’s China Program