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September 18, 2012

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Hear the people, foreign ministry urges

CHINA yesterday urged the Japanese government to take China's position on the Diaoyu Islands seriously and to listen to the Chinese people.

"The Japanese side should not take an attitude of shirking its own responsibility," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a press briefing.

He had been asked to comment on Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda urging China to take steps to halt violence toward Japanese citizens and companies in China.

Chinese people have expressed strong opposition to and indignation at the illegal purchase of the Diaoyu Islands by the Japanese government, and the Chinese government has clearly expressed its position through various ways, said Hong.

"The gravely destructive consequences of Japan's illegal purchase of the Diaoyu Islands are steadily emerging, and the responsibility for this should be born by Japan," he said.

"The course of developments will depend on whether or not Japan faces up to China's solemn stance and whether or not it faces up to the calls for justice from the Chinese people and adopts a correct attitude and approach."

China moved to tamp down rising anti-Japan sentiment yesterday after a weekend of sometimes violent demonstrations which included the torching and looting of Japanese factories and shops.

In the northwestern city of Xi'an, police issued an order banning large-scale protests in commercial areas, districts with large populations, and anywhere near government offices. The statement also warned that the use of texting or online messaging to organize demonstrations was forbidden.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, police said they arrested 11 people for smashing up a Japanese car, shop windows and billboards on Sunday.

Police in Qingdao, where protesters torched a Panasonic factory and Toyota dealership, arrested a number of people suspected of "disrupting social order."

Authorities tried to rein in online sentiment, with searches for posts or images related to the protests met with an error message and material deleted.

About 60 people gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing yesterday, but were far outnumbered by around 1,000 security personnel.





 

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