Beijing: China's premier threatened action against Japan if Tokyo does not immediately release a detained ship captain in his first comments amid a growing fracas over disputed islands.
Wen Jiabao's remarks on Tuesday night in New York were the first by a top Chinese leader on the issue that has led Beijing to suspend ministerial-level contacts with Tokyo. China also has said Wen would not meet with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan during UN meetings in New York this week.
In comments carried on the website of China's Foreign Ministry, Wen laid the blame for the dispute entirely at Japan's door.
Tokyo "bears full responsibility for the situation, and it will bear all consequences", he said to a gathering of overseas Chinese.
China-Japan relations are at their worst in half a decade, after Japan arrested the Chinese captain of a fishing boat that collided two weeks ago with Japanese coast guard vessels near islands in the East China Sea claimed by both nations. Japan extended his detention on Sunday, and China responded by suspending contacts.
The dispute over the islands, known as Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu or Diaoyutai in Chinese, comes as an increasingly confident China asserts its presence in the region.
Seven activists from the southern Chinese territory of Hong Kong set sail for the islands yesterday in a fishing vessel slightly larger than a private yacht. They were followed by a marine police boat but weren't immediately stopped.
Hong Kong's Marine Department on Tuesday sent a letter to the owner of the fishing boat banning it from venturing beyond Hong Kong waters on the suspicion that it may take a non-fishing trip.
The growing dispute faces a test on September 29, the deadline by which Japanese prosecutors must decide whether to charge the Chinese captain. The 14 crew members and boat have been returned.
