Beijing will never recognise 'purchase' of Diaoyu Islands
Beijing urged Tokyo yesterday to
immediately cancel its "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands (known in
Japan as Senkaku Islands) as senior diplomats from both countries met.
"China will never
acknowledge Japan's illegal grab and so-called actual control of the Diaoyu
Islands," Luo Zhaohui, director of Chinese Foreign Ministry's department
of Asian affairs, told Shinsuke Sugiyama, director-general of the Asian and
Oceania Affairs Bureau of Japanese Foreign Ministry, during their meeting in
Beijing.
Japanese Cabinet Secretary Osamu
Fujimura said yesterday that the purchase of the islands from "private
owners" was completed on Tuesday, a move that sparked protests and
countermeasures from Beijing.
Japanese Foreign Minister
Koichiro Gemba rejected the demand from China yesterday and said that Tokyo
would "in no way reconsider" its move, Kyodo News Agency said.
Japan illegally grabbed the
Diaoyu Islands and affiliated islets, which belong to China, at the end of the
First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.
Beijing urged Tokyo to "rein
in from the brink of the precipice", and get on track toward a resolution
through dialogue and negotiation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said
yesterday. Chinese government vessels will continue regular patrols in waters
administered by China, Hong told reporters.
Liu Jiangyong, an expert on
Japanese studies, said Japan's farcical "purchase" is aimed at
extending its reach and projecting an image of so-called actual control over
the islands in a bid to mislead the international community that it
"owns" the islands.
During the two-day talks that
ended yesterday, Luo stressed the strong will and determination of the
government and people to safeguard sovereignty.
The Foreign Ministry said both
countries will continue to communicate with each other.
Despite Tokyo's recent resort to
diplomacy, including appointing a new ambassador to China and sending Sugiyama
for talks on Tuesday, the dispute will not be solved unless Tokyo "changes
its policy", said Gao Hong, a specialist on Japanese studies at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Qu Xing, president of the China
Institute of International Studies, said Japan's "purchase" means
"the room for a possible diplomatic resolution of the Diaoyu Islands
dispute has been drastically squeezed".
Cross-Straits' compatriots have
expressed their indignation to the "purchase", said Fan Liqing,
spokeswoman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a yesterday news
conference.
"Measures taken by each side
of the Straits to safeguard the interests of the entire nation will be
supported firmly by all Chinese people," Fan said.
The State Oceanic Administration
released yesterday, on its website, a new regulation to protect territorial
waters, a move to "ensure the country's maritime interests".
Lu Caixia, director of the island
management department at the SOA, told China Daily that the regulation will
play an important role in safeguarding the country's maritime interests.
China-Japan ties have been
strained since Shintaro Ishihara, the right-wing Tokyo governor, unveiled plans
to "buy" the islands in April.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko
Noda announced a plan in July to "nationalise" the islands, a move
that prompted immediate protests from Beijing. The diplomatic standoff has led
to a series of cancelled visits and exchanges.
Vice-governor of Shandong province
Xia Geng cancelled a business trip to Japan, Yan Bo, an official from the
foreign affairs office of the provincial government in Shandong confirmed to
China Daily.
More Chinese consumers and
businesses are boycotting Japanese products and brands.
According to data provided by
leading Chinese shopping website Taobao.com, the number of consumers searching
for Sony products in the online shop decreased by 15.1 per cent within seven
days, with a 3.8 per cent drop for Panasonic and a 2.3 per cent decline for
Canon.
Meanwhile, Chinese tourists and
officials are cancelling tours to Japan.
Li Meng, deputy general manager
of China International Travel Service's outbound tour department, said that
about 20 per cent of tourists in the agency have cancelled trips to Japan.
Fan Wusheng, general manager of
the Japanese and Korean marketing department with the Nanjing branch of China
Comfort Travel Group, said that around 30 per cent of tourists have cancelled
the tours.
Feng Wei, a specialist on
Japanese studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, warned China-Japan economic
ties will worsen if Japan refuses to change its stance over the Diaoyu Islands.
Wang Qian, Zhao Ruixue, Zhang Xiaomin and Song Wenwei contributed to
this story.
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