China’s Call for an Apology Is Met With Anger in Japan

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

TOKYO — Tensions between China and Japan over the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain flared anew Saturday, a day after his release, with Beijing demanding an apology for the detention, and Tokyo refusing.

Chinese authorities also continued to hold four Japanese nationals, whose detention two days ago was widely seen as a move by China to pressure Tokyo to release the captain, Zhan Qixiong. On Saturday, Japanese diplomats were allowed their first visit with the four, who are held in northern Hebei Province.

The two-week standoff over the captain’s detention near islands claimed by both nations had seemed to end Friday when Japan gave in to Chinese pressure for his release. But no sooner had the plane carrying the captain landed in China than Beijing again ratcheted up the pressure, this time by demanding an apology and compensation.

On Saturday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said, “China of course has the right to demand the Japanese side make an apology and compensation.” An earlier statement said the arrest violated the captain’s human rights.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/world/asia/26japan.html

---

Japan will probably apologize because they cannot risk an armed conflict with China. China would wipe Japan off the face of the map.

[Confusious]

1. Well, considering we have a responsibility to defend japan

that would drag us into it to.

[sonomak]

2. China rises and rises, yet still gets $2.5 billion a year in foreign aid - AP

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jmoA54ulxK2sGnJTJzlCZ6ogzy0QD9IF3FDO1

9/25/2010
China rises and rises, yet still gets foreign aid
By GILLIAN WONG (AP)

BEIJING — China spent tens of billions of dollars on a dazzling 2008 Olympics. It has sent astronauts into space. It recently became the world's second largest economy. Yet it gets more than $2.5 billion a year in foreign government aid - and taxpayers and lawmakers in donor countries are increasingly asking why.

With the global economic slowdown crimping government budgets, many countries are finding such generosity politically and economically untenable. China says it's still a developing country in need of aid, while some critics argue that the money should go to poorer countries in Africa and elsewhere......

Experts say it's hard to justify giving aid to China when it spent an estimated $100 billion last year equipping and training the world's largest army and also holds $2.5 trillion in foreign reserves......

---------------------

THIS IS INSANITY.

[Confusious]

3. A developing totalitarian nation with nuclear weapons

and an army as large as the entire population of the united states.

[psychopomp]

4. China and Japan won't go to war but if they did...

...and it remained a conventional one, China could not defeat Japan. Japan has a better navy and has better trained pilots and better aircraft.

[Vehl]

7. Exactly

There is no way China can follow up on its threats. The Japanese navy is probably second only to the US one in terms of technological sophistication...and on par with the USN in training/quality of its crew.

a related thread where there is some discussion about this
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4545763#4553610


Chinese threats are just that.. huffs and puffs..without much substance behind them.

I'm with the Japanese in this. Not only are they the victims of the actions of this lunatic captain, now they have to have salt rubbed over open wounds by apologizing to a hypocritical neighborhood bully? fat chance.

[NutmegYankee]

5. China wouldn't wipe Japan off the map.

The US (SECDEF) has already stated it would back Japan. Japan + USA vs China in land war = BAD Japan + USA vs China in air and naval war = Win

[sonomak]

6. Also, it is widely believed that

Japan is capable of producing nuclear weapons in a matter of months if they decide to go that route.

[Poll_Blind]

14. At first I was a little surprised by that allegation. Then I realized it...

...absolutely made sense, I just hadn't thought of it before. Interesting.

PB

[proteus_lives]

8. "China would wipe Japan off the face of the map."

Not really.

Because to get to Japan, they have to go through us and we would wipe the floor with them.

[Poll_Blind]

9. China repeats demand for Japan apology

Source: AOL News

BEIJING - China has reiterated its demand for an apology from Japan over the detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain whose arrest plunged relations between the Asian neighbors to their lowest level in years.

The statement from the foreign ministry late Saturday was issued after Tokyo refused earlier in the day to apologize to China following the release of the captain whose vessel collided with Japanese patrol boats near disputed islands this month.

"China of course has the right to demand Japan apologize and make compensation," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in the Chinese-language statement.

The diplomatic back-and-forth over the weekend demonstrated that nationalistic sentiments stirred up by the incident show few signs of dissipating. Tensions have already affected business ties between the nations' intertwined economies — the world's second- and third-largest. Japanese authorities released the captain, Zhan Qixiong, early Saturday and he was flown home by chartered plane to Fuzhou in China's southeastern Fujian province.

Read more: http://www.aolnews.com/story/china-repeats-demand-for-japan-apology/1240228?cid=13

---

:popcorn:

PB

[WCGreen]

10. Shit meet the fan....

[Kringle]

11. another hostage crisis, wonderful .nt

[sonomak]

12. How about China apologizing to the world for the poisonous crap

they make and the pollution they produce?

"Opening" China and getting them into the WTO was a huge mistake.

[rpannier]

13. They're not going to get an apology

Nor are they entitled to one