Hardly a day goes by without another incident involving disputes between rival Asian powers over what seem on the surface to be small, insignificant islands.

The war of words over the sovereignty of these small, rocky outcrops in the sea is in danger of sparking real clashes that could shatter hopes of a peaceful rise for this region this century and force the U.S. to intervene.

The dominant factors feeding this friction seem to be the need for new energy sources in the power hungry region, unresolved differences over who owns what after World War II and the rise of China.

Apart from one ongoing fight between Japan and South Korea over one of the islands, the one country that is involved in all these disputes is China.

I think the overwhelming reason for this situation is that for the first time in hundreds of years, China is in a position to adopt a proactive foreign policy, particularly in terms of what it calls its 'core interests,' " James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Janes Defense Weekly tells Fox News. "By virtue of its size and potential, China is distorting the status quo in northeast and southeast Asia."

The most dangerous confrontation at the moment is between China and Japan over control of the Diaoyu Islands, as they are known by China, or Senaku islands in Japan.

The islands are located on rich fishing waters and are potentially huge oil and gas reserves.

Last year, a Chinese fishing trawler was arrested after ramming a Japanese coast guard vessel near the islands and was apparently only released after China cut off exports of rare earth minerals crucial to the Japanese telecommunications industry.

Now, the outspoken Mayor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishiharo, who often issues provocative against China, is in danger of escalating the dispute to a more dangerous level.

First, he announced he intended to name panda cubs born by a panda on loan from China after the islands. Pandas have been shipped around the world by China to support diplomacy, but Ishihara seemed to be attempting some kind of reverse panda diplomacy.

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Heated Disputes OverTiny Islands Worry Asia