Chinese FM calls for joint efforts on Diaoyu Islands

BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Joint efforts by the mainland and Taiwan should be made to safeguard overall national interests, such as the Diaoyu Islands, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

His comments came after Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou proposed trilateral dialogue on the islands.

"Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets are an integral part of Chinese territory and have been since ancient times," Hong Lei told a daily media briefing.

Hong made the comments after media reports said Ma proposed that Taiwan, Japan and the Chinese mainland shelve their sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea and engage in a three-way dialogue on resource development near the islands.

China will resolutely safeguard sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and its legitimate rights in the East China Sea, said the spokesman.

"It is the common responsibility for the countrymen on both sides of the [Taiwan] strait to safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation," he added.

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