US urges China and Japan to quickly settle differences over arrested Chinese ship captain
By APThursday, September 23, 2010
US: China, Japan should quickly settle differences
NEW YORK — The United States is urging Japan and China to aggressively and quickly resolve a territorial dispute that has deepened animosity between the longtime rivals.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told new Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara that good ties between China and Japan are crucial to Asia’s prosperity.
Crowley says the United States isn’t mediating between the countries following Japan’s arrest of the Chinese captain of a fishing boat that collided two weeks ago with Japanese coast guard vessels near islands in the East China Sea claimed by both nations.
Crowley says “neither side wants to see the situation escalate to the point where it has long-term regional impact.”
