Thousands protest at the Japanese embassy in Beijing
- 12 years ago
Thousands of protesters gather outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing, as tensions flare over a territorial dispute.
Riot police were forced to barricade the embassy as demonstrators gathered, angry at Japan for buying islands claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo.
Scuffles broke out as protesters hurled rocks and traffic cones at police.
Known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, the island chain sits near potentially lucrative oil and gas fields.
The purchase of the islets by Japan from a private owner has brought tensions up a notch.
Six Chinese surveillance ships on Friday (September 14) briefly entered waters close to the island chain.
On Saturday (September 15) protesters also gathered in Shanghai and Japanese media reported small demos in other Chinese cities as well.
Japan's foreign minister cut short a visit to Australia to deal with the situation.
Diplomats say both Tokyo and Beijing want to keep the row from spiralling out of control.
Riot police were forced to barricade the embassy as demonstrators gathered, angry at Japan for buying islands claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo.
Scuffles broke out as protesters hurled rocks and traffic cones at police.
Known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, the island chain sits near potentially lucrative oil and gas fields.
The purchase of the islets by Japan from a private owner has brought tensions up a notch.
Six Chinese surveillance ships on Friday (September 14) briefly entered waters close to the island chain.
On Saturday (September 15) protesters also gathered in Shanghai and Japanese media reported small demos in other Chinese cities as well.
Japan's foreign minister cut short a visit to Australia to deal with the situation.
Diplomats say both Tokyo and Beijing want to keep the row from spiralling out of control.