| |
BEIJING: China on Thursday called the seizure by Japan of a Chinese trawler that collided with two Japanese Coast Guard vessels and the arrest of its captain "absurd", warning it could adversely affect ties.
"The Japanese side applying domestic law to the Chinese fishing boat operating in this area is absurd, illegal and invalid, and China will never accept it," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.
China has twice summoned Japan's ambassador to demand the release of the skipper, who was arrested early Wednesday following the collisions and a chase in the East China Sea near an island chain claimed by both nations.
She called for the unconditional release of the crew and the boat, "so as to avoid a further escalation of the issue".
"If improperly handled, (the incident) could have a serious impact on the larger interests of China-Japan relations," she said.
The Japan Coast Guard, which arrested 41-year-old captain Zhan Qixiong and took him to the southern Japanese island of Ishigaki, transferred him to prosecutors on Thursday who were questioning him before deciding whether to indict him.
Zhan was arrested on suspicion of obstructing officers on duty, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment.
A Coast Guard spokeswoman also said "investigators today started inspecting the trawler and will soon start questioning the 14 fishermen on the boat," which is docked off Ishigaki island in Okinawa prefecture.
Tokyo suspects the captain deliberately rammed the two Japanese vessels in a tense confrontation near the disputed island chain. - AFP/fa
|
