BEIJING— China increased pressure on Tokyo on Sunday by warning it to make a "wise" resolution and immediately release the Chinese fishermen and their boat detained after it collided with two Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands east of Taiwan.
China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Beijing's senior foreign policy adviser, made this clear when he summoned Japanese Ambassador Uichiro Niwa in the early hours of Sunday — the fourth time the ambassador has been summoned over the crash.
Dai warned Japan not to wrongly judge the situation, and urged it to make a "wise political resolution" and release the crew and boat immediately, the statement said. Niwa said he would report the Chinese government's position to Tokyo, the Chinese ministry said.
China has said the confrontation could damage its relations with Japan, underlining the sensitivity of the territorial dispute over the East China Sea, one of several that trouble China's ties with its Asian neighbors.
