China urges Japan to release fishermen immediately

pinxinge

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo told Japan early Sunday morning to make a "wise political resolution" and immediately release the Chinese fishermen and fishing boat its coast guard seized earlier this week.
Dai made the remarks when he summoned the Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa in the wee hours. He was the highest-ranking Chinese official to make a response after the fishing boat and its crew were seized Tuesday in waters off the Diaoyu Islands and its captain was detained on Friday.
BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo told Japan early Sunday morning to make a "wise political resolution" and immediately release the Chinese fishermen and fishing boat its coast guard seized earlier this week.

Dai made the remarks when he summoned the Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa in the wee hours. He was the highest-ranking Chinese official to make a response after the fishing boat and its crew were seized Tuesday in waters off the Diaoyu Islands and its captain was detained on Friday.
Previously, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday summoned the Japanese ambassador and demanded Japan immediately and unconditionally release the boat and all the crew, saying China's determination to defend its sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and the interests of the Chinese people was unswerving.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Friday night when announcing the postponement of the talks that the Japanese side has "ignored China's repeated solemn representations and firm opposition, and obstinately decided to put the Chinese captain under the so-called judiciary procedures."
She said Japan's acts have violated the law of nations and basic international common sense, and are "ridiculous, illegal and invalid."
"Japan will reap as it has sown, if it continues to act recklessly," Jiang warned.
On Tuesday, two Japanese Coast Guard patrol ships and the Chinese fishing boat collided in waters off the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. No injuries were reported, but the fishing boat was then intercepted by the Japanese patrol.
The Diaoyu islands, in the East China Sea between China and Japan, have belonged to China since ancient times.
The islands are 120 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan, 200 nautical miles west of China's mainland and 200 nautical miles east of Japan's southernmost island Okinawa.
Geologically the islands are attached to Taiwan. The waters around the islands are 100 to 150 meters deep and there is a 2,000-meter-deep oceanic trench between the islands and Japan's Okinawa islands.
Fishermen from China's Taiwan and Fujian and other provinces conducted activities such as fishing and collecting herbs in this area since ancient times.
The islands appeared on China's map since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
There are records about the islands in a book published during the rule of Yong Le (1403 to 1424) in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years before Japan claimed discovery of the Diaoyu islands in 1884.

pinxinge

Beijing - China is firmly opposed to any kind of investigation by the Japanese side on the illegally detained Chinese trawler, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing on Sunday.
Japanese authorities on Sunday morning towed the Chinese fishing boat to the sea near Ishigaki island in Okinawa prefecture to recapture the situation when it collided with two patrol ships of Japanese Coast Guard off Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday.
All the 14 Chinese fishermen were on board, Xinhua has learned. They had been kept on boat off Ishigaki harbor. The staff of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo had called on them over the past five days.
No injuries were reported after the collision, but the fishing boat was then intercepted and seized by Japanese patrol ships.
Japan's Coast Guard arrested the Chinese captain of the fishing boat for alleged "obstructing public duties" early Wednesday despite China's protest.
Zhan Qixiong, the 41-year-old captain, was taken to a local police station on Ishigaki island after a local court granted on Friday a request by prosecutors for a 10-day detention through September 19.
Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo urged Japan early Sunday morning to make a "wise political resolution" and immediately release the Chinese fishermen and fishing boat its coast guard seized earlier this week.
Dai made the remarks when he summoned the Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa in the wee hours.
Previously, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday summoned the Japanese ambassador and demanded Japan immediately and unconditionally release the boat and all the crew including the captain, saying China's determination to defend its sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and the interests of the Chinese people was unswerving.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Friday night while announcing the postponement of bilateral talks with Japan that the Japanese side has "ignored China's repeated solemn representations and firm opposition, and obstinately decided to put the Chinese captain under the so-called judiciary procedures."
She said Japan's acts have violated the law of nations and basic international common sense, and are "ridiculous, illegal and invalid."

[ 本帖最后由 pinxinge 于 13-9-2010 10:43 编辑 ]

pinxinge

It looks like Japan is testing the tolerance limit of Chinese government. Maybe only strong navy could solve the problem.

pinxinge

BEIJING/FUZHOU - A plane chartered by the Chinese government flew 14 Chinese fishermen illegally seized by Japanese authorities from Japan to the southeast China port city of Fuzhou Monday afternoon, after China's repeated solemn representations.

The fishermen were illegally detained after the trawler they were aboard collided with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessels near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea last Tuesday.
The trawler, which was "illegally detained by the Japanese side," also set off for home Monday morning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the Chinese government has dispatched a fisheries administration ship to the relevant waters to assist it.
China has repeatedly lodged solemn representations to the Japanese side about the incident, and all Chinese people, including overseas Chinese compatriots, have denounced the illegal moves of the Japanese side, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
"All this fully illustrates the firm will and determination of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to safeguard the territory and sovereignty of our homeland," Jiang said.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and the local government of Fujian Province were also aboard the chartered flight to take care of the fishermen, she said.
The captain of the Chinese trawler, Zhan Qixiong, 41, is still being held by Japanese authorities for allegedly "obstructing public duties." A Japanese court has ruled he be detained for 10 days, until September 19.
"The captain is still being illegally detained by the Japanese side and China strongly demands the Japanese side immediately let him return," Jiang said.
The trawler and its crew members were kept off Ishigaki harbor in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture from last Tuesday and China four times demanded their return.
State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and some other senior Chinese diplomats have summoned the Japanese Ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa, four times since the incident.
During his meeting with Uichiro Niwa in the early hours of Sunday, Dai said Japan must make a "wise political decision" and free the trawler and crew.
Also on Sunday, China voiced its firm opposition to any kind of investigation by the Japanese side of the incident, when the Japanese towed the trawler to the sea near Ishigaki island to reenact the vessels' collision.