Japan told to keep away from Diaoyu Islands

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-06 07:28

China has urged Japan to stop violating the country's sovereignty over Diaoyu Islands by anchoring vessels near them, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Thursday.

"Any move by Japan to control the islands is violating China's sovereignty over its territory, (it) is illegal ..." Jiang Yu told a regular briefing. "(Japan) should stop it immediately."

China's sovereignty over the islands is "beyond question", she said.

Tokyo lays claim to the five small non-volcanic islands that lie between Chinese Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa.

On Wednesday, Tokyo-based Sankei Shimbun reported that Japan's Coast Guard had anchored patrol vessels in the waters of Diaoyu Islands to "prevent Chinese investigative ships from invading" the islands.

Japan's display of power in the waters of Diaoyu Islands will not help fulfill its ambition of controlling the islands, said Tsinghua University's Liu Jiangyong, an expert on Japan studies.

But it has intensified the dispute.

"Japan is eyeing the potential oil reserves in the region to expand its exclusive economic zone. But in my view, it's impossible for it to achieve that because international laws don't allow a country to use uninhabited islands to enlarge its economic zone," Liu said.

"The only way to break the deadlock is through dialogue."

Human Rights

China attaches great importance to the periodic country review on human rights by the UN, Jiang said at the same briefing.

"China has submitted its report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and hopes to hold a constructive dialogue with member states of the UNHRC," she said.

The fourth session of the UN's Universal Periodic Review opened in Geneva on Monday. Over the next two weeks, the session will examine the human rights records of 16 countries, including Germany, Canada, China, Cuba, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

China "has always respected and protected human rights," Jiang said.

"And we will continue to promote and develop human rights activities."

It is normal for every country to have its own view on human rights, she said.

China has always advocated narrowing the differences through dialogue and exchange on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

"We hope relevant organizations take a fair and objective view toward China's human rights development," Jiang said.