China warns US over island position
China has warned the US over its words and deeds regarding a group of uninhabited islands, which are the subject of a territorial dispute between China and Japan.
In a meeting with visiting US senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse on Friday, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi denounced their recent remarks on the Diaoyu Islands, as they are known in China, saying Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the islands.
At a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, McCain had described the islands as “Japanese territory” and accused China of violating Japan’s fundamental right to the islands.
However, after the meeting on Friday, McCain said that the US does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hong Lei also urged “relevant US lawmakers” to stop making irresponsible remarks on the islands.
Japan has long been engaged in a dispute with China over the sovereignty of the group of the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, which are alternatively known as Senkaku in Japan.
The disputed islands are currently controlled by Japan and form part of the Okinawa Prefecture.
The islands are located near a crucial shipping lane and give the owner exclusive oil, mineral and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.
On September 11, 2012, Tokyo signed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner in line with plans to nationalize the archipelago.
In late April, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would “expel by force” any Chinese individuals landing on the islands, following an incident during which eight Chinese vessels entered the disputed waters.
