Diaoyu Islands visit sparks protest

BEIJING - The Foreign Ministry lodged a solemn representation and a strong protest with Japan after four right-wing local city assembly members landed on one of the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday morning.

"The Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets have been an inherent territory of China since ancient times, over which China has indisputable sovereignty," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, stressing that China is firmly determined to defend its sovereignty of the islands.

According to Kyodo News, the four illegal intruders were all members of the Ishigaki city assembly in Okinawa Prefecture.