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September 21, 2012

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China calling for return to dialogue over islands issue

CHINA is urging Japan to return to the track of dialogue and negotiation to solve issues relating to the Diaoyu Islands.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was commenting on a report that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was to send a special envoy to China.

At a regular press conference in Beijing yesterday, Hong said China had always insisted that issues concerning the islands should be solved through dialogue and negotiation.

China will maintain communication with the Japanese at all levels and expound China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands, Hong said.

"Japan's moves infringed upon China's territory and sovereignty and are illegal in terms of international law," Hong said, referring to Japan's recent announcement that it had "purchased" the islands.

Asked whether China would be offering compensation for Japanese enterprises' losses incurred during anti-Japan demonstrations and protests in China sparked by that announcement, Hong said relevant cases would be handled appropriately.

A Japanese government spokesman said yesterday that Japan would be seeking compensation for damage inflicted on its diplomatic missions during the recent protests, according to the Japanese media.

Angry crowds took to the streets in cities across China earlier this week and a small number of protesters vandalized a few Japanese stores and some Japanese-brand vehicles.

A senior marine administration official said safeguarding China's sovereignty over the islands would be a long-term and critical struggle.

Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration, told a symposium on protecting the Diaoyu Islands that all SOA subsidiaries should fully understand the severity of China's struggle to safeguard its rights.

Meanwhile, China has published a pamphlet in Chinese, English and Japanese stating that the islands in the East China Sea are China's "inherent territory."

The publication, compiled by the China Oceanic Information Center, uses historical documents and atlases to prove that China was the earliest country to discover, name, use and administer the Diaoyu Islands.



 

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