politics

Japan, China spar over diplomat's detention in Beijing

34 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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34 Comments
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Wimp Jp its a violation of international law. All they do is ask for an apology and promise! Send a China diplomat back home show your anger!

19 ( +28 / -9 )

Japan is going to be waiting for its apology a long long time!

21 ( +29 / -8 )

International law allows of retaliation in kind. Just detain a Chinese diplomat for several hours for activities “inconsistent with their capacity” in Japan. Demanding an apology won’t hurt China.

21 ( +26 / -5 )

International law allows of retaliation in kind. Just detain a Chinese diplomat for several hours for activities “inconsistent with their capacity”

You want Japan to be like China?

-12 ( +9 / -21 )

He was released on Monday. What was the charge if any?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

If China cannot obey the agreement, perhaps everyone should pull their representatives, isolate China, and do no business with them. China cannot be trusted to keep their word in any agreement.

27 ( +32 / -5 )

What are the chances that China is doing this to keep Japan busy while Russia and the West focus on Ukraine?

The same way that the Germans convinced Japan to keep the Americans busy during WWII.

Now Japan's sanctions will have very little bite, and they will be a lot less vocal about supporting the West against Russia.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Fighto!Today  07:37 am JST

International law allows of retaliation in kind. Just detain a Chinese diplomat for several hours for activities “inconsistent with their capacity”

You want Japan to be like China?

It's a safe bet that Chinese diplomats in every country engage in various sorts and levels of espionage. Nothing wrong at all in detaining them on such suspicions or charges.

China if course has that right too, except that they have all-encompassing "security laws" that can be be very loosely applied and is used to apply diplomatic pressure on other countries with whom they have disputes.

So yes, Japan most certainly should respond in kind. I have little doubt that your 公安 has files on every Chinese diplomat in the country. There's nothing to be gained by taking the high road with China. They don't play by those rules.

9 ( +14 / -5 )

If there is a weak US President like Biden exist then China will do anything to Japan ..

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/world/europe/china-russia-ukraine-sanctions.html

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

You want Japan to be like China?

That'd be nice.

He said the Japanese diplomat had engaged in activities "inconsistent with their capacity in China" and that the relevant Chinese departments conducted investigations and questioning "in accordance with the law and regulation." No other details were provided.

Obviously it is sensitive information that China can't disclose, but I am really curious what they were held over. Diplomatic immunity is not all-encompassing, otherwise it would be carte blanche to engage in espionage.

I doubt we will ever know though. Probably sensitive information for China and Japan certainly isn't going to admit what they were doing. Any resolution will be something we simply aren't privy to.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

They will do nothing, NOTHING.

90% of DAISO and Aeon and so on... goods, cheap merchandise are "Made in China". Maybe forced labor, illicit operation, CCP funding. But its accepted here. And if China retaliates stronger after Japan reaction, it can cause tremendous harm to Japan and its economy. So I guess, this is just like a crying child in Nursery, they will have to mend ways, to follow teacher, here China. Its not a NHK news yet, nowhere else in media so already "news hide/ dumping" process has started...

0 ( +6 / -6 )

As I have been saying for DECADES, the west MUST reduce & eventually STOP its dealings with the chinese govt!! The longer we wait the higher the costs in $$ & also in HUMAN lives!!

Sadly we are already at a state of affairs that when the you know what hits the fan loss of life will be .........Its going to be bad, real bad, the appeasement & investments there needs to stop for starters.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

North Korean style China. Scratch this one off your bucket list of places to visit.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Did they find his shoe phone?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Too difficult either way to have an opinion on this topic as we don't know what the allegations of activities the diplomat engaged in that were inconsistent with his activities allowed in China.

If his work was legitimate then why was he seized while on duty and detained and interrogated.

Too many vague and missing details.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's a safe bet that Chinese diplomats in every country engage in various sorts and levels of espionage. Nothing wrong at all in detaining them on such suspicions or charges.

Uh, no, it is not acceptable to detain a foreign diplomate even if they are obviously spying. It is a violation of the Vienna Convention. It is also a violation of the unwritten law adhered to by all nations to leave each others spies alone. Why? What goes around comes around and if you start arresting some nations diplomats on the grounds they were spying, then the nation who's diplomats will assuredly arrest your diplomats in retaliation. You can I think see where that spiral goes with everyone arresting every one else's diplomats. That is the very reason the Vienna Convention exists. The unwritten rule is to not get to brazen with your spying and if the diplomat's host nation is really that offended their option is to declare the diplomat persona non grata and expel them.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

If his work was legitimate then why was he seized while on duty and detained and interrogated.

Part of diplomacy is talking to people and asking questions. But what is considered acceptable in an elected representative government like Japan's is not necessarily acceptable in a harsh police state like China. The diplomat may have been speaking to a Chinese dissident or lawyer, or poking around asking questions and gathering information on who knows what. Without knowing more details however it is hard to say, but there are a thousand ways to get sideways with Chinese security that are not even remotely illegal in democratic nations. Remember China can put you away for "Picking Quarrels". That is an actual crime there.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Yes, that’s right, usually one can answer that adequately, detaining one of them here. And then it’s either further escalating or like in the very most cases, immediately calming down. And of course it’s anything with espionage or similar, that’s why all the embassies are built and staff be sent into every country and in return being observed there by that country. Or did you think they all are only promoting bilateral cooperation, bicultural events, concerts or folk dances? lol

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Maybe the diplomat was chewing bubblegum?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Espionage? That's amusing. As if stealing state secrets.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

No, @Rodney 10:57am, but certainly, for several hours, he was fearing the ‘Cone of Silence’.

*- @Rodney 10:57am: “Did they find his shoe phone?“ *

seized while on duty and held for several hours on Mon, the diplomat was not physically abused while he was being interrogated, the official said.” -
1 ( +2 / -1 )

Countries don't detain diplomats - they have elevated immunity (NYC has this problem that they can't even collect parking tickets on diplomats working at the UN)

They just throw them out of the country

Watch someone do this to a Chinese diplomat - and watch China throw a hissy fit like ya just crapped on their country's dignity

2 ( +2 / -0 )

wonder if this was just a local street cop who stopped this person for a minor incident like jaywalking, and didn't believe the 'diplomat' status until the incident was elevated to higher ups, which took a few hours

of course we will never get the truth from China, maybe the diplomat wants to still the beans?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Like most people, I hope for peace and goodwill between the Asian neighbors, but in a case like this, it is normal to exercise a tit for tat maneuver.......detain a Chinese embassy official for a few hours.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I see this as a precursor to something bigger to come!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Like most people, I hope for peace and goodwill between the Asian neighbors, but in a case like this, it is normal to exercise a tit for tat maneuver.......detain a Chinese embassy official for a few hours.

I was thinking more along the lines that it might be time for the city of Tokyo to dig up a big water main or storm drain right across the entrance to the Chinese embassy, then find some additional "unexpected problems" that forces the city to keep the whole open for several months and maybe even requires periodically shutting off their water and electricity, heh, heh, heh.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It's a safe bet that Chinese diplomats in every country engage in various sorts and levels of espionage. Nothing wrong at all in detaining them on such suspicions or charges.

No. It is illegal to hold a diplomat performing their official duties. Doesn't matter if this happens in NYC, Beijing, London, or Kathmandu.

China is wrong on this. They violated a very long-standing, but required, diplomatic agreement.

Japan should expel a CCP-Chinese diplomat. Figure out who has the most imported family in Japan. That's the one to expel.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

theFu, “No. It is illegal to hold a diplomat performing their official duties.” Not really, there are some exceptions that make temporary detention legitimate, such as political conspiracy, assaults, espionage activities, violence, and even drunk driving. It is obvious that China is trying to keep it quiet by only saying the Japanese diplomat had engaged in activities "inconsistent with their capacity in China" but China has made a representation to Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There was no sign the diplomat was physically abused while he was being interrogated, the official said.

Well, that's good, as the Chinese government likes to do anal swab tests on diplomats when they check for COVID19. They did it to the Americans, and the US didn't do anything other than protest.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Inconsistent with their capacity in China

That means spying or attempts to spy, the Chinese secret police were watching closely and sending warning, the guy better behaves or will be expulsion!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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