Diplomat
was collecting information illegally, says a Chinese official
February 23, 2022 22:49 JST
TOKYO/BEIJING
(Kyodo) -- A Japanese diplomat in Beijing was detained temporarily earlier this
week while on duty, with China arguing Wednesday that its action was justified
because the official was engaging in inappropriate activity.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters
Tuesday night that the government had lodged a protest with China through
diplomatic channels, saying, "We cannot overlook (the incident) and will
never accept it."
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry balked at the protest on
Wednesday, saying that the unidentified diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in
Beijing had been investigated and questioned in accordance with the law after
acting inappropriately, without elaborating.
"China has lodged solemn representations with Japan, urging
it to strictly restrain the words and deeds of diplomatic personnel in
China" and "prevent similar incidents from happening again,"
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.
A Chinese official told Kyodo News that the diplomat was
collecting information illegally.
A statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo also said
earlier Wednesday that Japan should respect China's laws and manage the
behavior of its diplomats.
The statement came after Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo
Mori summoned Yang Yu, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in
Tokyo, to the ministry on Tuesday.
Mori demanded that China issue an apology and prevent a
recurrence saying the incident clearly violated the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations, the ministry said.
Yang, meanwhile, told Mori that he would report to his
government, according to ministry officials.
Japanese Ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi also made a similar
request to China's Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the diplomat was detained
Monday afternoon while on legitimate official business. A few hours later, the
diplomat was released after exchanges with Chinese authorities and was not
physically harmed.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations requires the
hosting state to prevent any disturbance of the peace of a diplomatic mission
or impairment of its dignity.
Hua, however, said the convention "clearly stipulates the
behavioral boundaries of diplomats," adding, "Diplomats are obliged
to respect the laws and regulations of the hosting country."
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-temporarily-detains-Japanese-diplomat-while-on-duty
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