Activists sail to Diaoyu Islands to proclaim sovereignty

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 10, 2003

Activists sail to Diaoyu Islands to proclaim sovereignty

Chinese civilians from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong sailed to the Diaoyu Islands, 120 miles to the northeast of Taiwan, Thursday morning to proclaim China's sovereignty over the islands.

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Chinese civilians from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong sailed to the Diaoyu Islands, 120 miles to the northeast of Taiwan, Thursday morning to proclaim China's sovereignty over the islands.

These people sailed to the islands in two ships, with "Minlongyu F861" setting off from Xiamen of the mainland's Fujian Province and "Xinhang 166" setting off from Taiwan. The two ships joined each other en route and continued the trip together, said spokesman of the operation Zhou Wenbo.

The relatively small "Xinhang 166" was forced to turn back owing to heavy winds and waves on the sea, but the "Minlongyu F861" managed to reach the vicinity of the Diaoyu Islands at 2:30 p.m.,Zhou said.

The ship, which carried 10 people, one from Taiwan, five from Hong Kong and four from the mainland, was blocked by Japanese ships and helicopters after that. It finally managed to reach about 100 meters from the islands and then returned.

Zhou said the operation was aimed at stopping the unjustifiable attempts of the Japanese government and rightists to seize the Diaoyu Islands, and at safeguarding the Chinese nation's inviolable sovereignty over the islands and territorial dignity with actual actions.

He said these people participating in the non-governmental operation were strictly law-abiding and loved the motherland in a sensible way, and they would not initiate drastic actions against the Japanese side.

Before their departure from Xiamen, these people issued a statement expressing their determination to safeguard the dignity of the Chinese nation and territorial integrity of China. They also called for all Chinese people to join the effort.

The statement also asked the Japanese government to make concrete and practical efforts to shoulder their due responsibilities for world peace and peaceful coexistence of both countries.

Diaoyu Islands an integral part of Chinese territory

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue reiterated Thursday that the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea and the adjacent islands are an integral part of the Chinese territory.

Zhang was commenting on a report that some people from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan had gone to the Diaoyu Islands to proclaim them as possessions of China.

The Chinese government and people were steadfastly determined to safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty, Zhang said.

China maintained that China and Japan should settle their dispute over the Diaoyu Islands through consultation, Zhang said.

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