Indonesia urged to discipline its navy, avoid abuse of force

China Thursday expressed shock and dissatisfaction over the Indonesian navy's killing of a Chinese fisherman in Indonesian waters.

A navy warship opened fire on four Chinese fishing boats on Monday, killing one man and wounding another two.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press conference that Beijing demands the Indonesian Government ascertain the facts and then notify China.

"At the same time, the Indonesian side should take all necessary measures to treat the injured sailors and protect the personal safety of other crew," he said, noting that the two injured crew members and eight others are still detained in Indonesia.

Qin said China and Indonesia are friendly countries and should take a sober and restrained attitude rather than resorting to the use of force when dealing with such problems.

"China hopes the Indonesian Government will take effective measures to discipline the navy and relevant units, shun the abuse of force in the course of law enforcement and guarantee no more incidents of this kind will occur in future," said Qin.

East China Sea oilfields

The spokesman also said that China is willing to resolve the issue of the disputed oilfields in the East China Sea through dialogue with Japan while at the same time reiterating its position.

"China's exploration for oil and gas is in the country's indisputable coastal waters in the East China Sea," Qin said responding to Tokyo's protest against China's drilling for gas in the region.

Earlier this week, Tokyo urged Beijing to reverse its decision to start extracting natural gas from the Tianwaitian oilfield in the East China Sea.

Qin said China's position has not changed and the country is ready to continue consultations with Japan for a proper solution. He said he didn't want Japan to further complicate the issue by taking unilateral action.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry website, China and Japan have agreed in principle to hold talks concerning the East China Sea and other matters in Tokyo at the end of this month probably next week.

The Japanese delegation will be headed by Director-General of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau Kenichiro Sasae of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and comprise Director-General Nobuyori Kodaira of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, and officials from relevant ministries and agencies, the statement said.

However, Qin said more discussions are needed between the two sides to fix the time and place of the consultations.

Source: China Daily