China's premier threatened "further actions" if Japan fails immediately to release a trawler captain, as Beijing staged its highest-level intervention yet in a bitter row between Asia's biggest powers.
Japan in turn called for talks to resolve the feud, but rejected China's territorial claim to disputed islets near where the Chinese skipper was apprehended by Japanese coast guard crews two weeks ago.
"I strongly urge the Japanese side to release the skipper immediately and unconditionally," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in New York, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
"If Japan clings to its mistake, China will take further actions and the Japanese side shall bear all the consequences that arise," he said, urging Tokyo to "correct its mistakes to bring relations back on track".
This is getting darned close to war talk. Over a sea boundary dispute. What are the Chinese up to? Is there some internal leadership dispute and one faction is using anger at Japan as a lever to win the dispute?
