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China-Japan diplomatic incident: captain of a Chinese ship arrested
The Japanese Coast Guard has intercepted two fishing boats near the islands Goto. After a chase that lasted over four hours a vessel was rammed, and the captain arrested. A similar episode a year ago has caused a serious diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo.
Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Japanese Coast Guard has arrested the captain of a Chinese fishing boat caught in its territorial waters after a chase lasting four and a half hours. The chase ended with the ramming of the vessel and the arrest of the commander.
The incident occurred off the Goto Islands. According to the Nagasaki coast guard report, the patrol ship spotted two Chinese fishing boats in what Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone off the southeast coast. The two vessels refused orders to stop and allow Coast Guard officers inspect the ships. A chase ensued, which lasted four and a half hours and ended with the ramming of the vessel and the arrest of the captain, Tianxiong Zhang, 47, of Fujian province.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not commented on the news, which is likely to create new tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. A similar incident occurred a year ago, when a Chinese ship rammed two Japanese coast guard patrol vessels near the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu by China), whose ownership is disputed between the two countries. The Coast Guard arrested the captain and held him in jail for two weeks. The incident provoked a crisis in diplomatic relations between China and Japan.
The incident took place in a context of general tension regarding China’s role in the sea. In September, the Japanese Foreign Minister expressed concern over the growing naval power of China and its activities near the disputed islands.