Indonesia told to release 75 Chinese fishermen

China yesterday called on Indonesia to release 75 captured Chinese fishermen and free their impounded vessels "as soon as possible", just six days ahead of a scheduled visit from Indonesia's foreign minister.

Beijing made the demand after Jakarta seized eight vessels that originated from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Saturday.

The vessels were all in a "traditional fishing area" in the waters around China's Nansha Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.