1,000 Chinese Ships Sail To Disputed Islands, Japanese Carmakers Shut Down Factories
Around 1,000 Chinese fishing boats are bearing down on the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while Japanese carmakers in China are buttoning-up their Chinese car factories.
Some 1,000 fishing boats have set sail from mainland China towards the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, Chinese national media reported on Monday. Says The Nikkei [sub] :
“If a large number of Chinese vessels intrude into Japanese territorial waters around the Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, it could trigger unexpected incidents such as clashes with Japan Coast Guard patrol ships, further escalating tensions between the two countries.”
At the same time, Japanese carmakers operating in China announced closures of their factories.
- Nissan suspended production on Monday and Tuesday at two factories in Guangzhou and Zhengzhou, Reuters says.
- Honda will suspend production in China starting September 18. “We have decided to suspend production for two days” in the wake of the heightened tensions between China and Japan, Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma told Reuters. “Our dealers are not in a position to receive car allocations currently.”
- Mazda will temporarily halt production at its Nanjing factory. The factory will be closed for four days from Tuesday, Mazda spokesman Naoto Oikawa told Reuters.
The closures have dual reasons. There has been violence against Japanese businesses, factories and dealers. However, sales of Japanese cars in China also have dropped in August and are likely further down in September, making a stop in output the prudent thing to do.
The divine wind that saved Japan twice from the Mongols won’t help Japan this time. Super Typhoon Samba moved through a day early and is no threat to the 1,000 fishing boats.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
Unlike certain other countries with delicate sensibilities, Japan gave up suicide bombing in the 40's(Many "volunteers" were less than willing,but what were they gonna do,file a complaint with H.R.?). China,a nation of only children and many international business relations,is unlikely to try any "Great Leap Forward" militarily here. After a brief display of mutual over the head military dick waving,businessmen will step in to hammer out better terms for the Chinese,followed by a round of boozing,a little karaoke,and hookers(Good times,good,good times!). Japan may decide to up its share of defense spending,along with South Korea finally deciding that maybe kicking down some more bones towards it own defense is a good idea.A Samsung missile featuring CCDT(Crystal Clear Destruction Technology) would be more than a match for NoKo's um, Cuddly(?)Leader,and his batch of Typodong(Phonics=funny!) missiles.
China will never have a "real" auto industry or auto market until they stop stealing intellectual property and start playing by everyone else's rules to build and sell in their country... or constantly intimidating their closest neighbors. Why we don't see this nation as a threat, but rather as an ALLY and trading partner is a mystery to me... no wait it isn't. Our only hope is that the Chinese people who aren't fervently chugging the Commie Kool Aid will throw off the chains.