China/Japan dispute heating up
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.
It's trivial dispute really, and it is most likely the fishing boat captain did screw up. But the location, right in the middle of heavily disputed waters, makes it important. China, Japan and Taiwan all claim the water, and the valuable stuff under it. This has raised the stakes to turn this into a major international incident.
The comments make for an amusing read also, with both Chinese and Japanese trolls out in force claiming their countries point of view is obviously correct.
Jay