China Warns Japan It's "Playing with Fire" in South China Sea

China warns
Japanese Self-Defense Force F2 fighter jet

The newest scuffle over prized, resource-rich waters in the South China Sea hit headlines on Thursday. "Japan," China warns, is "playing with fire" in the contested region...

Beijing's latest caution came after Tokyo announced Tuesday that it may soon patrol alongside the United States in the region.

Despite its cautionary call for Japan to stand down -- as though it has been affronted by Japanese aggression -- it was actually China that initiated this feud.

In fact, knowing the history behind the complex, six-nation South China Sea dispute that began 200 years ago is crucial to interpret any news out of the region.

That's why we turned to Money Morning Executive Editor William Patalon, III. Patalon has covered the South China Sea conflict since 2012 -- long before the mainstream media picked up on the dangers swirling about the area. And he had just explained to Money Morning readers that China has become increasingly hostile toward Tokyo in recent months.

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"Japan says that it's seeing more 'incursions' of its air space by China than at any time in the last 50 years," he said on Sept. 9, citing The Japan Times.

For example, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters 873 times in the fiscal year that ended this past March -- including 571 times against China and 288 against Russia.

"That's a big jump from the 464 'sorties' recorded the year before," Patalon noted.

And on Monday, China reached into Japan's space further than ever before...

China Warns Japan After Starting the Fight Itself

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On Sept. 26, China sent fighter planes over a strait never breached by Beijing between Okinawa's main island and Miyako-jima Island near Taiwan.

This is what prompted Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada to declare on Tuesday that Japan would increase its engagement in the South China Sea through joint training with the U.S. Navy.

Russia and China Of course, the Chinese Defense Ministry tells a different tale. It responded yesterday by stating the aim of the announcement was "to mess up the South China Sea situation and try to gain interests from the troubled waters," reported International Business Times UK.

"If Japan wants to conduct any joint patrol or joint exercises in waters administered by China, it is just like playing with fire, and the Chinese military will not sit and watch," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular press briefing.

Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, dismissing rival partial claims from its Southeast Asian neighbors. It rejects any intervention by Japan in the waterway.

But don't expect matters in these contested waters to diffuse anytime soon.

"This ongoing dispute is likely to be a dominant 'influencer' in global affairs for years to come," Patalon warned readers. "And it will likely help determine how well you live out your 'golden years' and how well your children and grandchildren live."

Here's how Patalon expects the South China Sea conflict will impact those of us two thousand miles away...

China warns about its Asian neighbors a lot, and Bill Patalon knows just how to assess those cautions. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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