Japan must stop futile actions

Japan must stop the actions of dispatching vessels and aircraft to the waters and airspace of the Diaoyu Islands of China.

Japanese foreign ministry had an urgent meeting with Chinese ambassador to Japan on the morning of Jan. 8, expressing strong protests to Chinese government about Chinese patrol boats entering the Diaoyu Islands, and urged Chinese side to exercise restraint. The Chinese ambassador made refutation on the basis of reasons and took a stand of refusing the so-called protest.

China's fishery administration had normalized the fishing protecting and patrolling in waters of the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets in 2010. On Sept. 10, 2012, Chinese government issued a statement, announcing the baseline of territorial sea of the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets. Chinese vessels only patrol in its territorial sea to exercise the jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and nearby waters.

Nothing can be changed no matter how Japan protests because the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets are the traditional territory of China, and the sovereignty of their territorial waters and airspace belongs to China. Japan has no right to interfere with China no matter what measures it takes to safeguard the territorial integrity.

It is necessary to reaffirm how the Diaoyu Islands issue came up. After the first Sine-Japanese War in 1895, Japanese cabinet secretly passed a resolution, putting the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets under administration of Okinawa Prefecture. On April 17 in the same year, China was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan and ceded Taiwan and the islets to it including the Diaoyu Islands. After the Second World War, the Diaoyu Islands returned to China. However, the United States privately gave the Diaoyu Islands to Japan in the 1970s, again infringing upon the territorial sovereignty of China.

Japan must face the reality that the days of Chinese nation being trampled and bullied had long gone and China now is fully capable to maintain its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The older Japanese and Chinese leaders had come to an understanding and consensus 40 years ago, which paved the way for the normalization of diplomatic relations of the two countries. The international community also knew clearly how the Diaoyu Islands issue developed to be like this. Japan will only feel worse if it remains impenitent and continues like this.

Feeling uneasy with the severe disruption to normal exchanges and economic and trade cooperation with China, Japan repeatedly pledged to reverse the momentum of its relations with China. China hopes to seek peaceful coexistence, friendship for generations, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common development with Japan. But all these have a premise, that is, the Diaoyu Islands issue is not to be bypassed. China will continue to take firm measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Japan must dispel the fantasy and stop all activities that harm China's territorial sovereignty.

Japan has dispatched vessels and aircraft to illegally enter China's waters and airspace over the Diaoyu Islands for many times. It must stop such illegal activities.

Read the Chinese version: 日本不要瞎折腾
Source:People's Daily Edition, author:Zhong Sheng.