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Boat crisis scuttles UN meeting of Wen and Kan
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
September 22, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
China yesterday said Japan's detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain had badly damaged ties and made it "inappropriate" for Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan this week at the United Nations.
China has already suspended high-level exchanges and promised tough counter-measures after Japan extended the detention of the captain whose boat collided with two Japanese coast guard ships earlier this month near China's Diaoyu Islands.
China's confirmation that Wen will not meet Kan when they both attend a UN meeting marked another swipe at Japan, suggesting it will take a while for diplomatic goodwill to return between the two neighbors.
The Foreign Ministry stepped up the warnings.
"This issue has already seriously damaged China-Japan relations. The key to avoiding a further deterioration in the situation lies in Japan immediately and unconditionally releasing the captain," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
It would not be right, Jiang said, for Wen to meet Kan in New York during the UN's development summit.
"Given the current atmosphere, arranging a meeting clearly would be inappropriate," she said.
Jiang reaffirmed that China will not waiver on issues related to its territory and sovereignty.
"The Chinese fishing boat was engaged in normal operations in waters off China's Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea when it was chased and badly damaged by the Japanese vessels," Jiang said.
Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Maps printed in Japan in 1783 and 1785 that marked out the boundary of the Ryukyu Kingdom show Diaoyu Islands as China's.
Jiang also said China has complete sovereignty and jurisdictional rights over the Chunxiao oil and gas field 450 kilometers southeast of Shanghai, adding that Chinese activities in the area are "reasonable and lawful."
When commenting on the threats faced by Chinese schools in Japan from Japan's right-wing forces, Jiang said: "We are highly concerned about the reports. Japan has a responsibility to take effective measures to protect Chinese institutions and nationals in Japan."
Anti-Japanese protests have flared in numerous locations around China. And the dispute has spilled into the cultural realm. The Japanese pop group SMAP has called off concerts in Shanghai.
The two concerts, scheduled for October 9-10, have been temporarily postponed due to "technical problems,'' the Shanghai City Entertainment Group Company said.
The company did not say when the concerts would be rescheduled.
China has already suspended high-level exchanges and promised tough counter-measures after Japan extended the detention of the captain whose boat collided with two Japanese coast guard ships earlier this month near China's Diaoyu Islands.
China's confirmation that Wen will not meet Kan when they both attend a UN meeting marked another swipe at Japan, suggesting it will take a while for diplomatic goodwill to return between the two neighbors.
The Foreign Ministry stepped up the warnings.
"This issue has already seriously damaged China-Japan relations. The key to avoiding a further deterioration in the situation lies in Japan immediately and unconditionally releasing the captain," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
It would not be right, Jiang said, for Wen to meet Kan in New York during the UN's development summit.
"Given the current atmosphere, arranging a meeting clearly would be inappropriate," she said.
Jiang reaffirmed that China will not waiver on issues related to its territory and sovereignty.
"The Chinese fishing boat was engaged in normal operations in waters off China's Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea when it was chased and badly damaged by the Japanese vessels," Jiang said.
Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Maps printed in Japan in 1783 and 1785 that marked out the boundary of the Ryukyu Kingdom show Diaoyu Islands as China's.
Jiang also said China has complete sovereignty and jurisdictional rights over the Chunxiao oil and gas field 450 kilometers southeast of Shanghai, adding that Chinese activities in the area are "reasonable and lawful."
When commenting on the threats faced by Chinese schools in Japan from Japan's right-wing forces, Jiang said: "We are highly concerned about the reports. Japan has a responsibility to take effective measures to protect Chinese institutions and nationals in Japan."
Anti-Japanese protests have flared in numerous locations around China. And the dispute has spilled into the cultural realm. The Japanese pop group SMAP has called off concerts in Shanghai.
The two concerts, scheduled for October 9-10, have been temporarily postponed due to "technical problems,'' the Shanghai City Entertainment Group Company said.
The company did not say when the concerts would be rescheduled.
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