Policy brief by Anna Rudakowska What happened in China? Since April 2012, China witnessed a series of violent public protests against the Japanese decision to purchase the Senkaku/Diaoyu Is- lands, followed by a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo (and, occasionally, Taipei). Anti-Japanese rallies were reported in eleven Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Harbin, Chengdu and Shenzhen. The demonstrators smashed Ja- panese-made cars, destroyed Japanese restaurants, stores and fac- tories, burned Japanese flags and chanted anti-Japanese slogans. These events caused serious damage for investors and companies from both countries. Reacting to those demonstrations, Panasonic and Canon suspended production in their Chinese factories. Chi- nese businessmen and tourists had to cancel their trips to Japan, while many Japanese left the mainland. The airlines from both coun- tries cut seats, cancelled flights and postponed the opening of new routes. Tensions continued in the following months and escalated in September 2012. Background to the Chinese public protest The tensions between China and Japan resulted from a dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Public protests in China erupted when the Japanese government unveiled plans to acquire the three islands from their private Japanese owner in April (eventually ac- quiring them in September 2012). Activists from China and Japan F rom April until October 2012, China witnessed a series of public protests against the Japanese purchase of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Besides providing further evidence of growing Chinese nationalism, this unrest is interesting for other reasons relevant to EU policy. The Beijing leadership, which is traditionally perceived as the only source of foreign policy decisions in China, faces a changing domestic constellation. Domestic opinion increasingly constrains Chinese foreign policy, and it becomes obvious that foreign policy decision-making in Beijing is not insulated from larger social developments. Even if foreign policy decisions in China are still made without direct input from civil society, the influence of social forces on Chinese foreign policies has to be taken seriously. The EU thus might want to reconsider its approach to China: as long as EU concerns about human rights are met with a rather uncompromising attitude by the Chinese political elites, Brussels should double its efforts to reach Chinese civil society. Issue 2013/01 • February 2013 Lessons for the EU from the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands Crisis setting sail towards the islands contributed to the escalation of the conflict. The Chinese government sent patrol ships into the theatre to reaffirm Chinese claims to sovereignty over the islands. The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands are located between the northeast coast of Taiwan, at the eastern coast of China and southwest of