U.S. sends wrong signal over Diaoyu Islands issue

Key Words:Diaoyu Islands; Foreign Ministry

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BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday claimed that the Diaoyu Islands were under the administrative authority of Japan, and therefore the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty applies to it.

Clinton also said the United States opposed "any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration." Her words showed explicit U.S. endorsement of Japan over the Diaoyu Islands issue, sending a mixed and wrong signal and adding fuel to the matter.

It was exceedingly wrong for Clinton, a senior U.S. governmental official in charge of American foreign affairs, to make such comments when meeting in Washington with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

Firstly, Clinton's comments were ignorant of essential historical facts and international law, and indiscriminate of rights and wrongs. Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets have been part of China's inherent territories since ancient times.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands whether on the aspects of history, geography and legal principle.

However, the U.S. arbitrarily placed the Diaoyu Islands under its administration in the 1950s and transferred the so-called "administrative authority" to Japan in the 1970s.

The two countries' backroom deals over the islands have seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty and sowed seeds for future disputes over the territory.

The U.S. has an unshirkable historical responsibility on the Diaoyu Islands issue. However, instead of retrospecting history, the country has made mistakes repeatedly.

Secondly, Clinton's words indicated the chaotic U.S. foreign policies. It would embolden right-wing forces in Japan and intensify tensions between China and Japan.

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