After another break, time to rock the boat!

北朝鮮、拿捕した中 国漁船を解放 外交 問題化避ける

【北京＝林望】

中国外務省の洪磊副報道 局長は２１日の定例会見で、北朝鮮当局に 拿捕（だほ）されていた中国漁船が同日未 明、解放されたことを明らかにした。北朝 鮮側が要求した６０万元（約１千万円）は 支払われなかったという。中朝双方が外交 問題化するのを避け、決着を図ったとみら れる。 すべての船員が解放され、漁船はすでに 中国側の海域に戻り、操業を再開したとい う。洪副局長は「北朝鮮側が事件について 全面的な調査を行い、説明することを望 む」と述べ、再発防止を求めた。

漁船は５日、操業中に北朝鮮の巡視船に 拿捕された。現場は漁業権などを巡って中 朝間で争いのある海域とみられ、北朝鮮側 は「罰金」の支払いを要求。１０日、船主 からの連絡を受けた中国外務省が北朝鮮政 府に解放を求めていた。

北朝鮮のミサイル発射や核開発を巡る緊 張が続く中、中朝が新たな火種を抱えるこ とを避けることで一致したとの見方が強 い。

http://www.asahi.com/international/update/0521/TKY201305210422.html

North Korea releases seized Chinese fishing boat –avoids issue becoming an diplomatic incident

Hong Lei, deputy public relations chief for the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported at his regularly scheduled interview on the 21 st that the North Korean authorities released a Chinese fishing boat it had seized early in the same morning. The 600,000 yuan (approximately 1 million yen) that the North Koreans had reportedly demanded was not paid. It appears that both sides reached this resolution in order to avoid it becoming a diplomatic incident.

He said that all of the boat’s crew were released and the ship had already returned to Chinese waters and had resumed operations. Lei said, “I hope that North Korea will conduct a full investigation and provide an explanation,” seeking to prevent a reoccurrence.

The ship was seized by a North Korean patrol vessel on the 5 th . It appears that the ship was fishing in waters that have fishing rights disputed by both China and North Korea. The North Koreans demanded payment of a “fine.” On the 10 th , the Chinese Foreign Ministry received contact from the vessel’s owner and then sought its release from the North Korean government.

In the midst of continued tensions with North Korea over its missile firings and nuclear development, it seems quite likely that China and Korea were agreed in seeking to avoid adding more fuel to the fire.