2010-11-02 14:54

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Tuesday it is merely wishful thinking of the United States to propose hosting official talks between China, Japan and the US.

Ma made the remarks when asked to comment on a hearsay that the US side has told the Chinese side that it is willing to host trilateral talks between China, Japan and the United States to impel China and Japan to exchange views on a series of issues.

"I'd like to clarify the discussions between Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Hanoi last week," said Ma.

He said both sides discussed strengthening cooperation between China, Japan and the United States, so as to work together for the peace and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

He noted the US side proposed holding official trilateral talks between China, Japan and the United States.

"I'd like to stress that this is only the thinking of the US side," he said.

He said China is looking at making full use of all current dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region with the hope of making them more effective in promoting peace and development in the region.

"The Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets are an inalienable part of China's territory and the territorial dispute over the islands is an issue between China and Japan," said the spokesman.

"It is absolutely wrong for the United States to repeatedly claim the Diaoyu Islands fall within the scope of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. What the United States should do is to immediately correct its wrong position," Ma said.

"Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and China's foreign ministry have made clear many times on various occasions China's solemn stance," he added.

After her meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in Hawaii last Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed the Diaoyu Islands issue could invoke the US-Japan security treaty.

The Chinese government was strongly dissatisfied with her statement.

Ma said Friday that as a bilateral agreement reached during the Cold War, the US-Japan security treaty should not harm the interests of third parties, including China.