China summons Japanese envoy over Diaoyu incident

The Chinese fishing boat that was intercepted by Japanese patrol boats in waters off China's Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday. (China Daily/Reuters)
China on Tuesday summoned the Japanese envoy to protest Japan's interception of a Chinese fishing boat in waters off the Diaoyu Islands.

Vice-Foreign Minister Song Tao summoned Japanese ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro to "lodge solemn representations", the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Earlier in the day, two Japanese patrol boats collided with the Chinese trawler.

Song urged the Japanese patrol boats to stop their illegal interception of Chinese fishing boats on the East China Sea.

The protest came after a ministry spokeswoman expressed "grave concern" over the collision.

Jiang Yu, speaking at a regular news briefing, urged Japan to stop its so-called law enforcement in waters off the islands and refrain from taking any action that would threaten the security of Chinese fishing boats and their crew.

"We have lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side," Jiang said, adding, "we will closely follow the situation and reserve our right to take further action".

The Diaoyu Islands and its adjacent islets have been Chinese territory since ancient times, Jiang reiterated.

The incident occurred when three Japanese patrol boats stopped a Chinese trawler claiming it was operating illegally near the islands before ordering it to leave the area, according to Japan's Mainichi Daily News.




The Chinese trawler's bow hit the 1,349-ton Yonakuni's stern at around 9:15 am in waters some 12 km north-northwest of Huangweiyu islet, and again collided with another Japanese patrol boat, Mizuki, 40 minutes later, Mainichi Daily News reported, citing the Japan Coast Guard (JCG).

Nobody was hurt from either vessel, and no fuel leaks had been reported.

Six Japanese investigators boarded the Chinese ship after it stopped and questioned the crew, according to the newspaper.

The Chinese ship then left the area, a Japanese embassy official, who refused to be named, told China Daily.

But the Kyodo News Agency reported the JCG had announced an arrest warrant for the Chinese captain for what they described as disturbing law enforcement.

What actually happened remained sketchy, with Phoenix TV quoting Wu Tianzhu, the owner of the trawler as saying that his 37-meter vessel did not hit the Japanese patrol boats, which were much larger in size.

Some Chinese experts expressed concern over the impact of the incident on bilateral relations.

"The collision is an accident, but considering Japan's recent moves in waters near China, we should take the incident seriously," said Wang Ping, a researcher at the Institute of Japan Studies affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Disputes in the East China Sea between the two countries have attracted public attention recently.

In late August, Tokyo decided to "nationalize" 25 scattered islets next March, including the Diaoyu Islands, according to the Nikkei News.

Days before the decision, Tokyo and Washington announced a plan to hold a joint naval drill near Okinawa and other southern islands in December, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Wang said he believed that besides domestic political reasons, the attitude that Japan had been displaying recently could be in line with the US strategic planning on security.

"The US is challenging the existing strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between China and Japan, which is already lacking mutual trust," Wang said.

However, Liu Jiangyong, a senior scholar on Japan studies at Tsinghua University, said the incident should be treated calmly.

He said Japan is scheduled to release a new defense plan by the end of this year. The right wing in Japan needs tension between the two countries to justify their military requirements.

Wang Chenyan contributed to this story.

By Ma Liyao, China Daily