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Anger grows over Japan in protests across China
Source: Agencies |
September 17, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Chinese police used pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon to break up an anti-Japan protest in a southern city yesterday as demonstrators took to the streets in scores of cities across the country in protest at the Japanese government's "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands.
About 20 rounds of tear gas were fired as thousands of people occupied a street in Shenzhen where protesters attacked a Japanese department store, grabbed police shields and knocked off officers' helmets. At least one policeman was hit with a flowerpot.
In Beijing on Saturday, demonstrators besieged the Japanese Embassy, hurling rocks, eggs and bottles and testing police cordons.
A six-deep cordon of anti-riot police were guarding the embassy yesterday as demonstrators, some throwing water bottles, resumed their protests.
"If Japan does not back down we must go to war. The Chinese people are not afraid," said 19-year-old-student Shao Jingru.
"We are already boycotting Japanese goods," he said. "The government should adopt sanctions on Japan, increase duties on their goods to show them that we are serious."
Another student protester, Xia Zhelin, said: "Our patience with Japan is exhausted."
Police used loudspeakers to tell protesters they should respect the law.
In Shanghai, around 1,500 people marched toward the Consulate-General of Japan on Wanshan Road.
Police broke up the crowd into groups of around 100 as they approached the consulate and roads around the area were cordoned off.
The protesters shouted slogans and held up banners but the demonstration was otherwise peaceful.
"Some people went to the Japanese consulate to express their patriotic enthusiasm. The order at the scene was well maintained," police said.
In the southwestern city of Chengdu, police headed off a crowd of at least 2,000 protesters trying to charge the US consulate. Protesters said they wanted the United States "to listen to their voices."
The Nikkei business newspaper said yesterday that demonstrators had attacked two Panasonic parts plants in Qingdao and Suzhou.
Toyota vehicle dealerships were also set on fire and many vehicles were damaged, the newspaper said, citing Toyota's China unit.
Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the protests were a "reasonable move and natural reaction" to Japan's provocations.
But the People's Daily said: "Raging expressions of patriotism will only bring joy to the (Japanese) evil doers, put our foreign policy on the defensive and wound the feelings of compatriots."
Protests spread outside China, with Chinese-Americans marching in San Francisco on Saturday. Overseas Chinese also held rallies in Houston and Chicago.
Despite deepening economic ties, China and Japan have long been at odds over bitter memories of Japan's military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s.
Tomorrow, China marks its memorial day for Japan's war-time occupation of China in 1931.
About 20 rounds of tear gas were fired as thousands of people occupied a street in Shenzhen where protesters attacked a Japanese department store, grabbed police shields and knocked off officers' helmets. At least one policeman was hit with a flowerpot.
In Beijing on Saturday, demonstrators besieged the Japanese Embassy, hurling rocks, eggs and bottles and testing police cordons.
A six-deep cordon of anti-riot police were guarding the embassy yesterday as demonstrators, some throwing water bottles, resumed their protests.
"If Japan does not back down we must go to war. The Chinese people are not afraid," said 19-year-old-student Shao Jingru.
"We are already boycotting Japanese goods," he said. "The government should adopt sanctions on Japan, increase duties on their goods to show them that we are serious."
Another student protester, Xia Zhelin, said: "Our patience with Japan is exhausted."
Police used loudspeakers to tell protesters they should respect the law.
In Shanghai, around 1,500 people marched toward the Consulate-General of Japan on Wanshan Road.
Police broke up the crowd into groups of around 100 as they approached the consulate and roads around the area were cordoned off.
The protesters shouted slogans and held up banners but the demonstration was otherwise peaceful.
"Some people went to the Japanese consulate to express their patriotic enthusiasm. The order at the scene was well maintained," police said.
In the southwestern city of Chengdu, police headed off a crowd of at least 2,000 protesters trying to charge the US consulate. Protesters said they wanted the United States "to listen to their voices."
The Nikkei business newspaper said yesterday that demonstrators had attacked two Panasonic parts plants in Qingdao and Suzhou.
Toyota vehicle dealerships were also set on fire and many vehicles were damaged, the newspaper said, citing Toyota's China unit.
Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the protests were a "reasonable move and natural reaction" to Japan's provocations.
But the People's Daily said: "Raging expressions of patriotism will only bring joy to the (Japanese) evil doers, put our foreign policy on the defensive and wound the feelings of compatriots."
Protests spread outside China, with Chinese-Americans marching in San Francisco on Saturday. Overseas Chinese also held rallies in Houston and Chicago.
Despite deepening economic ties, China and Japan have long been at odds over bitter memories of Japan's military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s.
Tomorrow, China marks its memorial day for Japan's war-time occupation of China in 1931.
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