Posted on 09/22/2010 12:11:02 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao threatened more retaliation against Japan unless it releases a trawler captain whom Tokyo accuses of deliberately colliding with a Japanese coastguard ship near disputed islands.
In the first comments by a senior Chinese leader on the issue, he told a meeting of overseas Chinese and Chinese Americans in New York on Tuesday that the skipper must be set free unconditionally.
“The Japanese side has paid no heed to China’s numerous serious representations, and so China cannot but take necessary countermeasures,” he said, in comments carried on the foreign ministry’s website.
“If Japan acts wilfully despite advice to the contrary, China will take further actions, and Japan must accept full responsibility for all the severe consequences,” he added.
The incident had “stired up anger for the entire Chinese people at home and abroad”, Mr Wen said.
Beijing has suspended high-level contacts with Japan over the issue and postponed talks on increasing flights between the two.
The case has become a distillation of the distrust that threads through relations between Asia’s two biggest economies, drawing in territorial disputes, Chinese bitterness over wartime occupation, Tokyo’s anxieties about Chinese regional sway, and Japanese unease as China rises in global GDP rankings.
Yoshito Sengoku, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, asked to comment on Mr Wen’s remarks, said: “It would be good to have high-level talks as soon as possible, on issues including broad, strategic matters.”
China has already said Mr Wen would snub Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, also in New York for a UN summit.
Analysts say neither country wants to risk their increasing trade flows through outright confrontation. But the boat case has re-opened disputes put on hold as the two governments sought to end decades of quarrels.
“It shows how fragile the relationship is even if on the economic
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
” ... Chinese bitterness over [Japanese} wartime occupation ... “
I think that Japan’s refusal to apologize for the atrocities they inflicted upon the Chinese people will come back to haunt them, and I might add, deservedly so! IMHO
PS: I’m not taking sides with the Commies, but with the Chinese people who suffered so much at the hands of Japanese invaders.
Hegemony. Testing their outer limits. Trying to push the envelop with Red China’s coast military guard. This was also predicted. Particuarly with Patrice Lumumba Obongo asleep at the switch sleeping through the 3:00 a.m. call. What an opportune time for America’s and America’s allies’ enemies.
What planet have you been on for the last 30 years?
I agree. China will keep pushing until it gets a bloody nose.
My advice, sooner rather than later. China is developing into a serious threat. Better to see it put in it’s place now than to wait until it’s completed it’s military build-up.
China thinks it’s going to rule the world. If we don’t pull our head out of our ass, it will.
yitbos
“I am so sick of Japanese multiple and repeated apologies to its neighbors. They have been doing so for thirty frikkin years now, repeatedly, through Prime Minister after Prime Minister (most notably Prime Minister Murayama) and through the Emperor (Akihito), as well as paying their neighbors off with Asian development programs and all kinds of grants and assistance and low cost loans and food programs and road construction, without much complaining by the Japanese People.Which one of us sticks up for Japanese Imperial atrocities under their fascist, expansionist administration which was so handily defeated by American Freedom and their leaders hanged by the Allies starting from 1946.
What planet have you been on for the last 30 years?”
Correct me if I am mistaken, but I just recently read that Japan refused to apologize to China for the atrocities that they committed durning their invasion. Also, the Death March of Bataan comes to mind vis-a via Japan and USA.
PS: I don’t want to hear that crap about the USA A Bomb drops, because that saved millions of lives on both sides.
I agree.
I have asked Mod to pull number 8 because it bad a use of insulting, foul language uncalled for.
Dialing back the caffeine here. Sorry about that. Apologies.
yitbos
I do know Japanese TV airs stories of atrocities on their side under their Imperial Army (and their kenpeitai secret police, etc, during their fascist, pre-democracy days) all the time in the form of documentaries, whether their behavior in Southeast Asia, or with Prisoners or War, or with Manchurian medical experimentees, but I wonder how much Chinese Communist TV runs documentaries on the excesses of Mao, the Great Leap Forward, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, massive purges of the elite and middle class during communist take over, forced abortions, Christians slaughtered, executed criminals having their organs harvested, etc. etc. Big difference between Japan 2010 and China 2010, believe me.
Amen! I think Japan has apologized more than enough, but the other Asian nations love using the Japanese wartime years to pummel more concessions out of Tokyo.
I hope Kan holds the line on this!
Well, if I were Red China, I would be hesitant to take up talks with a Japanese cabinet secretary named 戦国. ;-)
(His name is actually 仙谷. But the first kanji that come to my mind for Sengoku are 戦国.)
Japan, prewar, was very expansionist. These days, not at all. China playing the wartime atrocity card is the moral equivalent of Jessie Jackass and Sharptoon playing the race card. It has gotten old and nobody buys it anymore — especially not the Japanese extremely few of whom were alive at that time and had nothing to do with the horrors of that age.
China, on the other hand, is extremely expansionist, hungry for land, resources and very soon will be hungry for WOMEN. The demographic time bomb that was created by their “one child” policy has resulted in a huge surplus of unmarried military age men who are going to have to look for brides outside of China, thus spreading Chinese influence in other ways.
It’s easy to hash over history, but the reality is that these days the threat emanates from Beijing, not Tokyo.
Hey, that was a good one. Pretty good actually. VERY GOOD if you want me to be honest.... ;-)
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