Patrol near Diaoyu 'within our rights'

By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-10 07:18

Calling the patrol of Chinese ships near Diaoyu Islands - its own territorial seas - irreproachable, the government Tuesday said the recent dispute would not cast a shadow on the forthcoming trilateral summit between Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul.

Japan on Monday lodged a protest with Beijing after two Chinese survey ships reportedly spent nine hours in East China Sea waters near the Diaoyu Islands.

"I cannot accept China has done anything provocative by patrolling in its own territorial sea. The Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets are Chinese territory," Liu Jianchao, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday.

"Chinese ships cruising within Chinese seas is irreproachable," he said.

The latest dispute over the islands, which lie roughly between Okinawa and Taiwan, comes days ahead of a trilateral summit between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, scheduled for Dec 13 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Premier Wen Jiabao is expected to attend the summit.

"I don't think the recent dispute would have an impact on the trilateral meet," Liu said.

Leaders from the three nations will discuss economic and financial issues, cooperation, and some other issues of common concern at the summit, he said.

"We are expecting the meeting will promote cooperation among the three sides and further benefit the East Asia region," Liu said.