Japanese visit to Diaoyu irks China
Source: Agencies/Shanghai Daily |
January 4, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
China lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan yesterday after a visit by Japanese local officials to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
"The Chinese government has already sent a stern message of protest to the Japanese side. I want to reiterate, the Diaoyu Islands and other related islands have been a part of China since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over them," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement. "China never wavers in its determination to safeguard its sovereignty rights to the islands."
Four people, including two local lawmakers representing Ishigaki city in Okinawa, landed on one of the islands early yesterday, according to a Japanese Coast Guard official.
The four walked around the coast for about two hours before leaving the island on a small rubber boat, the official said, adding that they may be subject to police questioning as Japan forbids anyone from landing on the islands.
The visit comes on the heels of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's two-day trip to China in late December, where he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed to set up a framework to discuss maritime issues and settle future issues that come up.
Diplomatic ties between China and Japan deteriorated sharply in late 2010 following Japan's arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain near the islands, though they have improved since then.
"The Chinese government has already sent a stern message of protest to the Japanese side. I want to reiterate, the Diaoyu Islands and other related islands have been a part of China since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over them," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement. "China never wavers in its determination to safeguard its sovereignty rights to the islands."
Four people, including two local lawmakers representing Ishigaki city in Okinawa, landed on one of the islands early yesterday, according to a Japanese Coast Guard official.
The four walked around the coast for about two hours before leaving the island on a small rubber boat, the official said, adding that they may be subject to police questioning as Japan forbids anyone from landing on the islands.
The visit comes on the heels of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's two-day trip to China in late December, where he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed to set up a framework to discuss maritime issues and settle future issues that come up.
Diplomatic ties between China and Japan deteriorated sharply in late 2010 following Japan's arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain near the islands, though they have improved since then.
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