Word of the day: Claimed

• to state that something is true, even though it has not been proved
• to state that you have a right to take or have something that is legally yours

Section 1
The Pratas Islands are controlled by Taiwan, but also claimed by China. The main island is one of the biggest in the South China Sea and has been designated¹ as a national park by Taiwan’s government².

Section 2
Speaking in Tokyo, Mr Panetta³ said the US did not take sides on competing⁴ sovereignty⁵ claims. But he said that Washington expected a peaceful resolution to the spiralling⁶ dispute over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China and Taiwan. “It is in everybody’s interests – everybody’s interests – for Japan and China to maintain good relations and to find a way to avoid further escalation⁷,” Mr Panetta said on the first leg of a week-long tour of Asia⁸.
Section 3
The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, concerns⁹ a territorial¹⁰ dispute over a group of uninhabited¹¹ islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in the People’s Republic of China, and Tiaoyutai Islands in the Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan). Aside from a 1945 to 1972 period of administration by the United States as part of the Ryukyu Islands, the archipelago¹² has been controlled by Japan since 1895. According to Lee Seokwoo, the People’s Republic of China started taking up the question of sovereignty over the islands in the latter half of 1970 when evidence¹³ relating to the existence of oil reserves¹⁴ surfaced. Taiwan also claims the islands. The territory¹⁵ is close to key shipping lanes¹⁶ and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area¹⁷.

1. to choose someone or something for a particular job or purpose.
2. Fishermen urge government crackdown on Vietnamese boats near Pratas Islands
3. the US defence secretary.
4. if one company or country competes with another, it tries to get people to buy its goods or services rather than those available from another company or country.
5. complete freedom and power to govern.
6. if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc in a way that cannot be controlled.
7. if fighting, violence, or a bad situation escalates, or if someone escalates it, it becomes much worse.
8. US urges ‘restraint’ in Senkaku dispute
9. if a story, book, report etc concerns someone or something, it is about them.
10. related to land that is owned or controlled by a particular country.
11. an uninhabited place does not have anyone living there.
12. a group of small islands.
13. facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true.
14. to keep something so that it can be used by a particular person or for a particular purpose.
15. land that is owned or controlled by a particular country, ruler, or military force.
16. a line or course along which ships or aircraft regularly travel between ports or airports.
17. Wikimedia: Senkaku Islands dispute