Posted on 05/09/2002 10:23:45 PM PDT by tallhappy
Li: Leave mystery ship salvage to China, Japan
The Asahi Shimbun |
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KAGOSHIMA-China's No. 2 leader issued what appeared to be a veiled warning to Washington to keep out of the salvage of a mysterious ship sunk last December after a firefight with the Japan Coast Guard. Speaking Tuesday to The Asahi Shimbun during his visit to Japan, Li Peng said, ``Intervention by parties not directly concerned in the issue will only make the problem more difficult and complicated and will not add to a resolution of the issue.'' The chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress was apparently referring to the possibility of the United States or its forces helping Japan in a salvage operation. The suspicious ship, which is believed to be from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), sank in waters within China's economic exclusion zone. The issue of salvaging the vessel was on the agenda of Li's meetings with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. Li told them questions surrounding the salvaging of the vessel should be resolved through discussion between the relevant agencies of both countries. In referring to the 30th anniversary this year of the normalization of relations between Japan and China, Li said, ``Japan's peaceful development is also advantageous to China.'' He also sought to alleviate Japanese concerns about China's growing economic power. ``China's economic development will not be an obstacle to the development of economic ties between our two nations,'' Li said. ``In fact, trade figures have been multiplying by a factor of several times.'' He said the reason for Japan's current economic slump lay in the collapse of the asset-inflated bubble economy. Li ended his eight-day visit to Japan on Tuesday, departing for China from Kagoshima.(IHT/Asahi: April 10,2002)
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First they say to Japan don't even raise it. Now they say, only we and you can raise it, but the US better not help.
The ChiComs obviously know full well what this mystery ship was doing and what info will be made available when it is raised.
The article is from April 10.
TOKYO (AP) - A fishing boat suspected of spying for North Korea (news - web sites) sank off southwestern Japan late Saturday after trading machine gun fire with Japanese coast guard vessels at the end of a six-hour chase, officials said.Two coast guard sailors suffered minor wounds in the firefight, and an estimated 15 crewmen from the fishing boat were dumped into rough seas when the vessel went down 240 miles off the Japanese island of Amami Oshima.
Survivors clung to life preservers in the cold water for nearly two hours as rescue efforts were hampered by the rough conditions and concerns that the castaways might resist.
By early Sunday, there were no signs of survivors, coast guard spokeswoman Miki Sakamoto said. She said patrol boats were continuing a search.
Coast guard and defense officials said the unidentified fishing boat might have been spying for North Korea, and some officials suggested the boat's crew members may have killed themselves to avoid capture.
In 1998, an alleged North Korean spy submarine got tangled in a fishing net off South Korea (news - web sites). All nine crew members were found fatally shot in an apparent suicide pact.
Authorities initially said Japanese gunfire had sunk the fishing boat. But Shinzo Abe, deputy Cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, later speculated the boat's crew might have scuttled the vessel, saying it sank quickly.
Twenty-seven Japanese ships and 14 aircraft had chased the boat, which carried Chinese markings and was first spotted by plane Friday cruising about 90 miles off Amami Oshima inside Japan's economic exclusion zone.
Japan has exclusive fishing rights in the area, which extends 200 maritime miles beyond its 12-mile territorial waters.
The boat ``closely resembled'' vessels believed by Japanese authorities to have conducted surveillance activities for North Korea in the past, coast guard officer Shigehiro Sakamoto said.
Independent military analyst Kensuke Ebata told NHK television that it appeared to be equipped with a satellite dish and other surveillance gear.
Kyodo News agency reported, however, that some government officials believed the boat might have belonged to Chinese smugglers.
When approached by a coast guard vessel Saturday afternoon and ordered to stop for inspection, the boat fled westward toward China, ignoring warning shots, officials said.
The Japanese vessel then fired at the boat, touching off a fire in its stern. The boat was finally surrounded by four Japanese coast guard vessels about six hours later.
Before the boat could be boarded, its crew reportedly fired submachine guns at the Japanese vessels, hitting two sailors. The Japanese vessels shot back, and the boat sank within minutes, officials said.
Neither North Korean state media nor China's official Xinhua News Agency had reported the incident by late Saturday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry (news - web sites) was closed for the weekend.
Japan recently strengthened the coast guard's search-and-pursuit capacity with high-speed patrol boats and night vision equipment. The upgrade was largely a reaction to domestic criticism of its failure to capture two suspected North Korean spy ships that fled Japanese waters in March 1999.
Last year, Japan briefly suspended economic aid to China after a series of incidents in which Chinese survey vessels entered Japan's coastal waters without notice.
No kidding, *$&% off China, consider it payback for the EP-3 incident last year.
They learned some lessons from the USSR experience. How to ease into economic freedom without collapsing, and knowing they have to expand their economy in order to keep pace militarily with us and avoid being outspent where DOD budgets are concerned.
One scenario that makes sense: The Chinese know what will be discovered, and wish to create plausible deniability regarding the veracity of those who announce it. One way to do that is to get Uncle Sam directly involved in the ship recovery effort, thus tainting the believability of the evidence in the eyes of many of whatever the recovery team finds.
It is usually tactically sound to use your opponent's habits, instincts and standard operating procedures against him.
Another interesting observation: Li Peng's comment appears to be slyly and cleverly calculated to sow mistrust between the US and Japan--and to make the Japanese resent the implied nature of their relationship with the US. It also offers Japan a charter membership in China's vision of the Asian "In Crowd." The statement just reeks with lots of interesting subtext.
But Li Peng is partially correct: This is a Japanese matter. They have both the right and the duty to deal with as they see fit.
China needs to go back to its ball and stick form of military defense, offense and general warfare... they think they are in a race with the USA... but "non militarized" japan could take them out with three cities tied behind its back...
roflmao
They should have gotten their first clue of this, when Japan sunk it in a firefight to begin with... idiot chinese... talk about the axis of evil... they are the axis of idiots.
The Chinese would dominate any joint attempt with Japan to raise the vessel. Are you implying that the propaganda war against the United States is reason not to get involved? If so, then what advantage is there to letting the Chinese control the recovery along with the propaganda? Noam Chomsky would love it.
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