Chinese hold anti-Japan protests over boat dispute

[chiuchimu]

Chinese hold anti-Japan protests over boat dispute - The China Post

BEIJING -- Protesters in several cities across China marked a politically sensitive anniversary Saturday with anti-Japan chants and banners, as authorities tried to stop anger over a diplomatic spat between the Asian giants from getting out of control.

As some chanted “Wipe out the Japanese devils!” and stamped on Japanese flags, China's Foreign Ministry called for calm.

Ever-present anti-Japanese sentiment in China has been inflamed in recent weeks by Japan's arrest of a Chinese captain after his fishing boat collided with two Japanese coast guard vessels in waters near an island group claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing. Japan has returned the boat and its crew but holds the captain. China has demanded his release.

China's ruling Communist Party partly encourages anti-Japanese sentiment to burnish its nationalist credentials, but it remains obsessed with social stability and has worked in recent days to keep people from demonstrating.

Protests in at least five cities drew crowds as large as several hundred, but officials' efforts largely succeeded.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing shouted “Down with Japan” and held signs saying “Get out of the Diaoyu Islands” but were moved away by police within an hour. They later were allowed to pass by in small groups, while the rest marched outside a police cordon. The disputed islands are known as Tiaoyutai in Taiwan and as Senkaku in Japan.

In Shanghai, two men hung a banner saying “The Diaoyu islands belong to China ... return our captain” outside the Japanese consulate. Police warned them to be careful and eventually ushered people away after a crowd of about 50 gathered.

“We came here to appeal for fairness and for the right to ask for our captain back. We regret the government's weakness in diplomacy,” said one of the men, Li Chunguang.

And in the southern city of Shenzhen, several hundred people gathered at a public square to call for a boycott of Japanese goods and sing the Chinese national anthem, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported. Hong Kong's Cable TV showed a police officer trying to grab a Chinese flag displayed by protesters. RTHK said police detained several demonstrators.

Saturday marked the anniversary of the 1931 “Mukden Incident” that led to the Japanese occupation of China's northeast and eventually the brutal invasion and conquest of much of the country. The date has in the past been marked by official commemorations and scattered anti-Japanese protests.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that protesters of the boat incident chanted anti-Japan slogans in the northeastern city of Shenyang, where the 1931 attack occurred. The report ran only in English, not Chinese.

The anniversary was the top news on China Central Television's noon broadcast, but the boat incident wasn't mentioned.

The Japanese government made no public comment Saturday on the protests, the boat incident or the anniversary.
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People are spreading the call for all Chinese to ban Japanese products and buy American or European products instead.

Will this blow over in a few weeks?

[MMM]

A few weeks? It has already blown over. There were less than 100 protesters in Beijing. BEIJING!

There were even fewer in Shanghai and other cities.

[ColinHowell]

Originally Posted by MMM

A few weeks? It has already blown over. There were less than 100 protesters in Beijing. BEIJING!

There were even fewer in Shanghai and other cities.

I think it's much too premature to say that this has blown over yet.

The protests mentioned by you and the China Post article were on September 18. The next day, September 19, a Japanese court extended the fishing captain's detention by 10 days (in keeping with Japanese law, which allows them to hold the captain for up to 20 days while deciding whether to file charges). In response, China suspended high-level diplomatic exchanges with Japan the same day. Today (September 21) China ruled out a meeting with Japan's prime minister Naoto Kan at the UN to resolve the dispute, stating the timing was not proper. These most recent acts have been widely reported.

The low protest turnouts are noteworthy, but I don't think they can safely be interpreted as representing apathy among the Chinese public. The China Post article claims that Chinese authorities were keeping a lid on things to maintain public order, and other reports agree. But the extension of the captain's detention has apparently triggered a large number of online protests. Or at least that's what Chinese news sources have claimed, e.g. Xinhua.

[JustinRossTso]

Yeah... I'm Chinese... and now my dad says because of this I shouldn't go to Japan.

I hope things don't get worse... but either way my plan is stuck on Japan.

I don't think Hong Kong can boycott Japanese products... they love Japanese products!

[Sangetsu]

The incident is still in the news in Japan. Local business operators have been hurt because many Chinese who had made reservations for tourism trips to Japan have canceled their visits. One single hotel claims to have lost 40,000 yen in business in just a one week period.

[chiuchimu]

I think the Japanese Government should let the fisherman go. I think that's at the core of this fire. keeping him is not going to make things better in my opinion.

[JustinRossTso]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

The incident is still in the news in Japan. Local business operators have been hurt because many Chinese who had made reservations for tourism trips to Japan have canceled their visits. One single hotel claims to have lost 40,000 yen in business in just a one week period.

That sucks dude... ;/. I don't know... it's not like the guy intentionally did it because he was Japanese, it was because it was part of the law, and he just happened to be Japanese, which brings the whole country into it as well.

I don't get how these people think :S!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

The incident is still in the news in Japan. Local business operators have been hurt because many Chinese who had made reservations for tourism trips to Japan have canceled their visits. One single hotel claims to have lost 40,000 yen in business in just a one week period.

I think you must be missing a zero or two, or that isn't much of a loss.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by chiuchimu

I think the Japanese Government should let the fisherman go. I think that's at the core of this fire. keeping him is not going to make things better in my opinion.

If he committed a crime, what precedent is set by letting criminals go because it makes his countrymen angry.

It is interesting, chiuchimu, that you suggested the US military pull out of Japan in order to help improve relations between China and Japan. Are you seeing how that is mistaken now?

[chiuchimu]

The incident was near disputed waters. If this fisherman did this in Tokyo harbor, no one, not the Chinese or Japanese would care.

I'm sure the fisherman thought he was in Chinese waters. I don't like how the Koreans took over Takeshima Island by military force, I don't want to see my country of Japan doing the same thing. The dispute over the island should be done with scientist and archaeologist from many nations including the U.S. and Europe to determine who has been using the island over the centuries. This goes for Takeshima too. Let's find out the facts once and for all. Not just drive people out at gun point.

@MMM I still believe Japan should have its own military, and if U.S. is an allie then China won't be a military threat. England, France, Canada etc.. can depend on the U.S. for help against a stronger foe, so can Japan.