China reclaimed a number of islands in the South and East China seas from Japanese domination during World War II [Xinhua]
China has dismissed a Japanese government exhibit which showcases Tokyo’s claims to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday told reporters at a regular press briefing that the islands are Chinese regardless of Japan’s protests.
“Diaoyu Island and its affiliated isles are China’s inherent territories, and China’s sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands has a solid historical and legal basis,” Hua said.
Tensions between the two countries have flared from time to time with each side accusing the other of flying military aircraft too close to its own jets in a long-running territorial dispute over a cluster of islets in the East China Sea, known in China as Diaoyu and in Japan as Senkaku, which has left ties between the two nations strained.
At the end of China’s war against Japanese aggression and World War II, China had recovered the islands that had been occupied by Japan during the war.
Beijing and Tokyo have seen brief periods of deterioration in bilateral ties before and usually found a way to settle if not resolve differences.
Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used his opening speech at the start of Parliament’s regular session to call for closer ties with China.
He said he wants to work with China to boost infrastructure development in Asia, and refereed to Beijing’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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