BEIJING, June 22 -- China called on Japan yesterday to respect the rights of Chinese fishermen, including those from Taiwan.

    "The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with Japan's forcible expulsion of Taiwan fishermen from Chinese territory around the Diaoyu Islands," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday at a regular briefing.

    "For Japan to forcibly expel Taiwanese fishermen doing their work from that area is a violation of China's rights and sovereignty," Liu said. "We ask that Japan pays attention to the Chinese side's concerns and practically and prudently handles the related problems."

    A Beijing-based diplomatic source said the Chinese ministry had lodged a protest with the Japanese Embassy in Beijing via "normal diplomatic channels" earlier this month.

    Liu also reaffirmed China's claim to the Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets in the East China Sea, saying they have long been an integral part of Chinese territory and Chinese fishing grounds for generations.

    Also yesterday, Taiwan sent a navy frigate with 15 local politicians and more than 100 journalists on board to protect its fishermen in the waters about 65 nautical miles (120 kilometres) northeast of Taiwan.

    The frigate's four-hour voyage came after Taiwanese fishermen complained of being harassed by Japanese patrol boats.

    Taiwan said more than 10 of its fishing boats had been expelled from the area or detained by Japan this year and urged Tokyo to resolve the issue quickly through negotiation.

    China and Japan are divided on the issue of demarcation of the continental shelf of the East China Sea. China has insisted on negotiation and appealed for joint exploration of resources in the disputed waters but Japan drew a "median line" across the area without consulting China.

    Japan last month began granting Japanese firms the right to conduct test drilling for potential oil and gasfields in the area, which China called "a serious provocation."

    
(Source: China Daily)