China summons Japan ambassador, suspends talks over vessel dispute

A senior state council official summoned Japan’s ambassador to Beijing on Sunday to express concern over Tokyo’s detention of a Chinese fishing-boat captain, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to state media, State Councilor Dai Bingguo "pressed the Japanese side not to misjudge the situation, and to make a wise political decision" on the issue. On Saturday, China suspended planned talks with Japan to discuss disputed gas deposits in the South China Sea; Japan issued a formal complaint over the suspension. Diplomatic tension has been rising between Japan and China since a Chinese fishing vessel was seized after colliding with Japanese patrol boats near the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands in the South China Sea last week.