GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Canada’s Foreign Minister John Baird has suggested that Canada could set an example for China and Japan over how to avoid escalating tensions when territory is disputed. He pointed, during a speech in Ottawa, that Canada has ” territorial disputes with Denmark and the United States, but we try to address them diplomatically, peacefully, and at the same time, continue to enjoy good relations with both those countries,” reports Embassy Magazine.
His remarks come as senior officials from China and Japan held a meeting described by the Japanese as “severe” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Tensions remain high, with China putting its first aircraft carrier in the sea this week and JAL airlines in Japan canceling flights to China.
China Daily reports that the US is asking to play a greater role in the disputer over the uninhabited but resource rich islands called Diaoyu Islands by China and Senkaku by Japan. The two countries as well as Taiwan claim ownership. The BBC reports that “on Tuesday, Japanese and Taiwanese ships sprayed water at each other after a Taiwanese flotilla briefly entered what Japan says are its territorial waters.”
