May 19, 2013 — China is urging North Korea to release a Chinese fishing boat whose owner says it was seized by gun-toting North Koreans earlier this month and held for ransom, in the latest irritant in relations between the neighboring allies.
The seizure of the Liaoning-based boat adds to China’s frustration with North Korea over its recent tests of nuclear and rocket technologies in defiance of international efforts to curb the country’s nuclear ambitions.
At the same time, the Chinese government is under intense pressure domestically to ensure the safety of citizens who venture abroad or out to sea to seek their livelihoods. Another abduction by North Koreans of Chinese fishermen about a year ago — along with allegations they were beaten — sparked furious criticism among citizens in China’s blogosphere.
‘‘Whatever you call North Korea — rogue state or whatever — these kind of cases just keep happening,’’ said a Liaoning Maritime and Fishery Administration official who identified himself only by his surname, Liu. ‘‘We had such cases last year and the year before. There’s very little we can do to prevent them.’’
Yu Xuejun, who wasn’t aboard the boat, first publicized the seizure on his microblog late Saturday saying that North Koreans seized his boat on May 5 in Chinese waters and that they demanded a 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom. Yu, posting on a verified Tencent Weibo account, said he was asking for help from Internet users and China’s Foreign Ministry. His post was reposted and commented on more than 12,000 times.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Globe