Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a statement concerning territorial disputes in Asia that was considered quite provocative by many of its neighbors. Referring to disputes with Japan and the Philippines, Mr. Wang said that “there is no room for compromise in territorial and historical issues.”
As it becomes more likely that Russia will take action to annex Crimea, the rhetoric between Russia and the West has become more heated. For the third time, members of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were denied entry into Crimea to assess the validity of the claims that Russians were being attacked by Ukrainians in Crimea. Russia continues to deny that the armed soldiers taking control of Crimea are Russian soldiers.
About 15% of the Crimean population is Tatar. This ethnic group was exiled from the Crimea by Stalin during World War II because Stalin mistrusted their loyalty to the Soviet Union. For this reason, one would suspect that the Tatars would fiercely resist Russian control over the Crimea. However, the Russians are courting the Tatars with very attractive offers of financial support and political promises. It will be interesting to see where the Tatars end up. For many years, the Crimean Tatars have been asking for independence, as evidenced by their membership in the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.
World Politics News 
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