Q: According to reports, in response to a question by the Democratic Party of Japan on counter-measures should the Diaoyu Islands be encroached upon by a third country, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said in the National Diet on the morning of February 26 that they were Japanese territory, where the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States would certainly apply. How do you comment on this?

A: China has voiced strong dissatisfaction and lodged a solemn representation to Japan. The Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets have been China’s inalienable territory since ancient times. China has indisputable sovereignty over them. China firmly opposes any attempt by Japan, which is futile, to change the fact.

China and Japan have disputes over sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands. China has always held that the issue should be properly resolved through negotiation. Japan should realize the great sensitivity of the Diaoyu Islands issue and proceed from the general interests of China-Japan relations and regional stability with discretion in words and deeds.