Japanese rightists opposed to better ties

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang sharply criticized the ruse adopted by the mayor of a Japanese city to change the name of China's Diaoyu Islands, saying such a move will not change the fact that the islands have always been "an inherent part of Chinese territory".

Yoshitaka Nakayama, mayor of Ishigaki city in the southwestern island of Okinawa, submitted a proposal to the city's assembly on Monday to change the "Japanese name" of the islands from "Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City" to "Tonoshiro Senkaku, Ishigaki City", according to some Japanese media reports.

Geng's comments come at a time when the frozen political relations between China and Japan are showing signs of thawing.