CHINA: More than thousand protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong to denounce Japan in a row over disputed islands.

Record ID: 858081

  • Title: CHINA: More than thousand protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong to denounce Japan in a row over disputed islands.
  • Date: 16th September 2012
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2012) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING DOWN STREET CHANTING AND CARRYING CHINESE FLAGS AND BANNERS VAN DRIVING AHEAD OF PROTESTERS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CARRYING LARGE BANNER VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CARRYING CHINA AND MACAU FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG RESIDENT, FRED LEE, SAYING: "So we will protest firstly, and secondly if the Japanese government will not withdraw from the occupation of the China Diaoyu Islands, and then I believe that the China government will take action not only economical also by the army. That sure." DIAOYU ACTIVISTS IN FRONT OF JAPANESE CONSULATE, CHANTING PROTESTERS CHANTING DIAOYU ACTIVISTS CHINESE FLAG PICTURE OF DIAOYU ISLANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG RESIDENT, LESLIE CHAN, SAYING: "Japanese should send away their officials off the island first because if not, everybody is going to be send armies and then there is becoming another war. We don't want any war, we want peace, but everybody should sit down to talk about the issue." VARIOUS OF TOY DOGS WITH JAPANESE FLAGS MOVING ON JAPANESE FLAG ON GROUND
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABX1CX8W2B48ED9849OXVNHVZM
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: More than a thousand protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday (September 16) to denounce Japan in a row over disputed remote islands.
    The slogan-chanting, flag-waving protesters marched through Hong Kong to the Japanese consulate.

    "So we will protest firstly, and secondly if the Japanese government will not withdraw from the occupation of the China Diaoyu Islands, and then I believe that the China government will take action not only economical also by the army," said Hong Kong resident, Fred Lee.
    The latest dispute flared up last month after Japan detained a group of Chinese activists who had landed on the islands.
    The long-standing territorial dispute escalated dramatically on Friday when China sent six surveillance ships to a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, raising tension between the two countries to its highest level since 2010.
    It was responding to Japan's decision on Tuesday to buy the islands, which Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu, from a private Japanese owner after Chinese warnings not to.

    "Japanese should send away their officials off the island first because if not, everybody is going to be send armies and then there is becoming another war. We don't want any war, we want peace, but everybody should sit down to talk about the issue," said Hong Kong resident, Leslie Chan.
    Sino-Japanese ties have long been plagued by China's bitter memories of Japan's military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s and present rivalry over resources - the islands are believed to be surrounded by energy-rich waters.
    Relations between the two countries, which have extensive business and trade ties, chilled in 2010, after Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain whose boat collided with Japanese coastguard vessels near the islands.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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