Yang Jiechi: Diaoyu Islands belong to China

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has reaffirmed China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands while meeting with his Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meetings.

During his talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Yang Jiechi said Sino-Japanese relations have made some progress, but also have big problems. He said he hoped Japan would take necessary measures to reduce obstacles to bilateral relations.

Yang stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets. He called for Japan to abide by a bilateral consensus on this issue and come back to the negotiating table to resolve differences. Yang urged real action from the Japanese side to safeguard the smooth development of bilateral relations, in the interest of both sides.