Chinese premier wants immediate, unconditional release of boat captain

[Poll_Blind]

Source: CNN

New York (CNN) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, in New York Tuesday for the United Nations General Assembly, urged Japan to release a detained Chinese boat captain "immediately and unconditionally," China's state news agency Xinhua reported.

Otherwise, China will take further measures, Wen said in a meeting with Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans, according to Xinhua.

The captain was arrested earlier this month off the disputed Diaoyu Islands, in the East China Sea, after his vessel crashed into two Japanese patrol boats. He is accused of obstructing Japanese public officers while they performed duties. A Japanese court has extended the detention of the captain as diplomatic tensions between the two countries rise.

"The Japanese side bears full responsibility for the current situation, and it shall bear all the consequences that arise," Wen said, according to Xinhua.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/21/japan.china.fishing.captain/?hpt=T1

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It's not uncommon for me to mostly forget just how historically-strained the relationship between China and Japan has been. At least until little kerfuffles like this.

PB

[msongs]

1. japan killed almost as many chinese as Mao did maybe nt

[Ozymanithrax]

2. This is about controling the natural gas under the islands...

It could get uggly.

[Turborama]

3. UPDATE: China's (Premier) Wen threatens new action in Japan boat row

Source: AFP

By Marianne Barriaux (AFP) – 1 hour ago

BEIJING — China's premier threatened "further actions" if Japan fails immediately to release a trawler captain, as Beijing staged its highest-level intervention yet in a bitter row between Asia's biggest powers.

Japan in turn called for talks to resolve the feud, but rejected China's territorial claim to disputed islets near where the Chinese skipper was apprehended by Japanese coast guard crews two weeks ago.

"I strongly urge the Japanese side to release the skipper immediately and unconditionally," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in New York, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

"If Japan clings to its mistake, China will take further actions and the Japanese side shall bear all the consequences that arise," he said, urging Tokyo to "correct its mistakes to bring relations back on track".

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jshUTNlE5mO2KsKaxhSMi7f1uXCA

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[JNelson6563]

4. Thanks for posting those graphics.

Very interesting indeed!

Julie