Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan Friday urged the Japanese side to act calmly on the consulate intrusion accident that took place on May 8 in Shenyang, northeast China.
Kong made the following statement on the accident:
On May 8, five persons of unknown identity tried to force their way into the Japanese consulate in Shenyang through the main gate. The Chinese armed police officers on duty took measures to intercept them, but two of them still got into the consulate grounds. With the consent of a deputy consul, the Chinese guards entered the consulate and brought the two persons out. Later a Japanese consul contacted the Chinese side on the matter, consented to it that the five persons be taken away by Chinese police, and thanked the armed police officers for their efforts.
According to the Vienna convention on consulate relations, the Chinese side is responsible for ensuring safety of the consulate. As the five persons are of unknown identity and have not gone through necessary procedures, they pose a threat to the consulate and its staff. The Chinese armed police officers acted in accordance with the convention to protect the safety of the consulate. It is groundless to accuse the Chinese side of entering the consulate without consent. The Japanese side should keep calm and understand the Chinese move out of goodwill, and not to aggravate the issue.
China has always attached importance to Sino-Japanese relations and handle accidents in bilateral relations with calm and prudence. In May 1998, several Japanese police entered the main building of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo and took persons of unknown identity away without consent of the Chinese side. The Chinese side handled that affair exactly with calm and prudence.
(Xinhua News Agency, May 10, 2002)
