China says detention of fishing boat under Japanese law `absurd`

BEIJING, Sept. 9 Kyodo -
China said Thursday it will ''absolutely not accept'' the detention under
Japanese law of a Chinese fishing boat and the arrest of its captain in
Chinese-claimed maritime territory, calling it ''absurd, illegal and invalid.''
Calling for the immediate release of both vessel and crew to avoid further
escalation of the bilateral row, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu warned
the ''highly sensitive'' issue has already triggered a strong reaction from the
Chinese public.
''We hope that Japan can recognize the gravity and seriousness of the matter,''
she said, warning that if improperly handled, the issue will hurt bilateral
relations.
''It is a fact that China and Japan dispute the sovereignty of the Diaoyu
Islands,'' she said, referring to a group of islands in the East China Sea that
are controlled by Japan and known to Japanese as the Senkaku Islands.
She added that China's stance is to seek ''the proper resolution of the issue
through negotiations based on respect for the facts.''
The Foreign Ministry earlier lodged protests against Japan over the detention
of the trawler and captain near the disputed islands, summoning Japanese
Ambassador Uichiro Niwa twice within 24 hours to protest the ''illegal''
interception of the vessel and demand its immediate release.
Japan has also filed protests with China over the incident Tuesday in which two
Japan Coast Guard patrol boats and the Chinese fishing boat collided in waters
off the islands.
China says it was the Japanese patrol boats that collided with the Chinese
fishing boat. But Japanese authorities accused the Chinese captain of
deliberately having his vessel collide with one of the Japanese patrol boats
chasing it.
On Thursday, the fishing boat's skipper Zhan Qixiong was sent by the Japan
Coast Guard to prosecutors on suspicion of obstructing public officers
performing their duties.
At Thursday's regular press briefing, Jiang also said China has dispatched
fishery enforcement vessels to the disputed waters as part of China's lawful
activities to protect the safety of Chinese fishermen and their assets.
But she did not say if it was linked to Tuesday's incident.
An editorial in Chinese state media Thursday warned that the incident could
provoke a major outcry among the Chinese public if Japanese authorities
continue to stick to their ''hard-line'' stance.
''Sino-Japanese relations have shown signs of warming recently,'' an editorial
in the English-language China Daily said. ''The latest incident could easily
squander what could be a golden opportunity for bilateral ties to flourish.''
Earlier Wednesday, a group of about 30 demonstrators from a local activist
group had briefly protested against the fishing boat's detention in front of
the Japanese embassy in Beijing before submitting a complaint letter.
==Kyodo