Dispute over the sovereignty of Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) implicates peace in East Asia. These islands were under Chinese control for five hundred years in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and were used as sailing coordinates for imperial Chinese missions to the ancient Ryūkyū Kingdom and as part of national defense. Under the control of the Qing Dynasty, the Diaoyu Islands were affiliated with Taiwan. In 1894, the Qing was defeated by Japanese in the Sino-Japanese War and was forced to secede Taiwan and its surrounding islands to Japan in 1985. After World War II, the Diaoyu islands were under the United States¡¦ occupation. In 1972, the United States reverted administrative control over these islands to Japan. The Diaoyu Islands have so far been separated from the Chinese rule for over a century. Due to the intervention of the United States, the Diaoyu Islands were not returned to China or Taiwan after the defeat of Japan in 1945. In the 21st Century, as the resources on earth are gradually depleted, the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands has become a ferocious competition among China, Japan, and Taiwan due to its rich ocean resources. At present, the islands are under de facto control by Japan; resolution of the problem has troubled Taiwan, China, and Japan. On September 7, 2010, ¡§Minjin Fishing Boat No. 5179¡¨ collided with Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats. This thesis uses this incident as a case to study the Sino-Japanese conflict on the Diaoyu Islands.