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China summons Japanese envoy
DISPUTED SEAS: Beijing has also called off talks on oil and gas fields in the
East China Sea as part of its protests over the seizure of a Chinese fishing
vessel
AP and AFP, BEIJING and TOKYO
Monday, Sep 13, 2010, Page 1
China¡¦s most senior foreign policy official increased
pressure on Japan yesterday by summoning its ambassador to again demand the
immediate release of Chinese fishermen and their boat detained near disputed
islands.
The Chinese vessel collided with Japanese patrol boats after ignoring warnings
to leave the area and refusing to stop for an inspection last Tuesday, Japan¡¦s
coast guard said.
China has said the confrontation could damage its relations with Japan.
State Councilor Dai Bingguo (À¹ªÃ°ê) summoned Japanese Ambassador Uichiro Niwa in
the early hours of yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a
statement.
It was the fourth time the ambassador had been called in over the incident and
it was highly unusual for an official of Dai¡¦s rank to intercede.
Beijing is worried about losing face in front of the Chinese public if it
appears unable to protect the country¡¦s sovereignty, and a possible
nationalistic backlash against the government. The spat has stirred passions in
China, with newspapers and nationalists calling for a tough stand against any
threats to China¡¦s territorial claims.
The incident happened off Japan¡¦s Kuba island, just north of the islands known
as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyutai (³¨³½¥x) in Chinese. The islands are
controlled by Japan but are also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Dai urged Japan to find a ¡§wise political resolution¡¨ and release the crew and
boat immediately, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Japanese coast guard officials took the Chinese fishing boat and its
crew out to sea off Okinawa yesterday to test the vessel¡¦s capabilities.
Officials also found fish on the ship and were investigating whether they were
caught illegally in waters that Japan considers its territory, public
broadcaster NHK said.
The Chinese ministry said it firmly opposed any form of investigation by
Japanese authorities into the fishing boat.
¡§Japan¡¦s so-called gathering of evidence is illegal, invalid and futile,¡¨
spokeswoman Jiang Yu («¸·ì) said in a statement. ¡§China urges Japan to stop
actions that escalate the situation and immediately and unconditionally release
the crew and ship, this is the only way to solve the problem.¡¨
In related news, a group of about 20 Chinese activists planned to sail yesterday
from Xiamen to waters near the Diaoyutai Islands to unfurl banners proclaiming
Chinese sovereignty over the territory and protest ¡§Japanese aggression.¡¨ One of
the organizers said they expect to arrive tomorrow.
A Japanese court has allowed prosecutors to keep the boat captain in custody
until next Monday before deciding whether to press charges. Tokyo suspects the
captain, 41-year-old Zhan Qixiong (¸â¨ä¶¯), deliberately rammed the two Japanese
vessels and arrested him on suspicion of obstructing officers on duty. The
charge carries a maximum sentence of three years¡¦ imprisonment.
Japanese authorities say the other 14 crew members are free to return home if
China sends a vessel to pick them up.
In other developments, Japan has filed a complaint with China after Beijing
called off planned talks on oil and gas fields in the East China Sea, an
official said yesterday.
China called off the talks late on Friday in protest over the fishing boat
seizure. The talks had been scheduled for later this month.
The postponed talks were intended to follow on from discussions held in Tokyo in
July on plans to jointly exploit oil and gas fields in the areas.
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