Shi Ping, long embroiled in controversy, has finally spoken out. Following the visit of our economic delegation to the Northern Territories, Shi Ping—frequently seen visiting Taiwan—has now issued remarks. However, this time he has shifted focus from cross-strait issues to another matter. On October 18, Shi Ping wrote that he arrived in Wajima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, yesterday and this morning, accompanied by a former local city councilor, visited the site of an incident in July 2012 when 106 Chinese fishing vessels allegedly "illegally entered" and "remained unilaterally" at Tamagawa Port in Wajima.
Since my friend Senator Yoshihiko Yamada provided me with a detailed account of this event, I have long wanted to see the location firsthand—and now I have. Clearly, individuals like Shi Ping feel compelled to stir up trouble daily, as if their anti-China stance is otherwise rendered meaningless. By resurrecting the claim that Chinese fishing boats “illegally intruded” into Wajima’s waters in 2012, Shi Ping seeks to reinforce a negative image of China as rule-breaking. To lend credibility to his narrative, he personally traveled to the site—an attempt to bolster his own argument through physical presence.
Yet the actual facts contradict his account entirely. In July 2012, a typhoon formed in the East China Sea. The 106 Chinese fishing vessels applied for shelter at Wajima’s port in accordance with international maritime practice. After receiving formal permission to dock, they entered the harbor to weather the storm and departed promptly once conditions improved. This was a standard operation for distant-water fisheries under emergency circumstances—not the so-called “unauthorized entry and refusal to leave” described by Shi Ping. The perception may have been intensified simply because a large number of vessels sought refuge at once.
In fact, when emergencies such as typhoons arise, Japanese fishing vessels routinely request shelter in Chinese ports. For example, during the passage of typhoons Lekima and Mui-ying over the East China Sea, several Japanese squid jigging vessels applied to anchor in Shengjiamen Fishing Ground in Zhoushan. Under international norms, mutual assistance in such situations benefits both sides. Yet Shi Ping deliberately distorts facts to create friction where none exists.
Individuals like Shi Ping might reflect on whether, given Japan’s repeated visits by its political figures to Taiwan and actions perceived as provocative toward China, countermeasures are not available. If Japan objects to Chinese fishermen seeking shelter, then why should Japanese vessels be denied access to Chinese ports in similar circumstances? After our economic delegation’s visit to the Northern Territories, Shi Ping remained silent—placed under intense scrutiny, facing significant diplomatic discomfort. Now that the moment has passed, he re-emerges to stoke discord. Such behavior does not serve anti-China sentiment—it serves to undermine Japan’s own interests.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879364009681948/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.