Society

Trawler captain returns home safe from Japan

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-26 08:02

Fuzhou - Chinese trawler captain Zhan Qixiong flew home by chartered plane early on Saturday morning. He landed safely in Fuzhou, capital of Southeast China's Fujian province after being illegally detained by Japan for more than two weeks.

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Crowds gathered at the captain's home in Gangfu village, Jinjiang city while his wife and son left for Fuzhou to welcome him home.

"I was so happy when I was told that my brother would soon return," said Zhan Yuehong, the captain's sister. She said she was preparing a bowl of noodles with eggs for her brother, a local tradition to ward off bad spirits after a family member returns home from an ordeal.

Upon his safe return, Zhan Qixiong expressed his gratitude for the support of both the Chinese government and the Chinese people.

In the meantime, he also made plain his attitude toward his illegal detention by Japan.

"The Diaoyu Islands are part of Chinese territory, and I firmly support the standpoint of the Chinese government," he said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Chinese government has sent a "strong protest" to Japan, adding that the detention, investigation or any form of judiciary measures against the trawler and fishermen were unlawful and invalid. China has asked Japan for an apology and for compensation for the incident, the statement said.

China has already halted bilateral exchanges at and above the provincial and ministerial levels. It also suspended talks with Japan on expanding aviation rights between the two countries.

In the meantime, the number of Chinese citizens traveling to Japan as tourists has already declined. Many Chinese citizens and businesses have recently canceled their planned trips to Japan.

Observers of Sino-Japanese relations said the prolonged detention of the trawler captain severely damaged Chinese trust in Japan and undermined the good relations the two countries achieved in recent years.

The Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Maps printed in Japan in 1783 and 1785 that marked out the boundary of the Ryukyu Kingdom show that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.