Beijing : A wary China on Monday firmly opposed comments by US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about Diaoyu islands and warned Tokyo to refrain from seeking American support for its illegal territorial claims under the mutual defence treaty.
“China is gravely concerned about and firmly opposed to relevant comments by Japan and the US. Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media briefing here. China calls the uninhabited Senkaku islands in the East China Sea held by Japan as Diaoyu islands.
While the islands and waters, believed to contain rich deposits of oil and minerals are in the administrative control of Japan, China has stepped up naval patrols around it after jostling with Japanese coast guard.
“We are firmly against Japan’s attempt to try to gain the US support for its illegal territorial claims in the name of the so-called mutual defense treaty,” Geng said.
During the current visit of Abe to Washington, President Trump agreed to further strengthen security ties and confirmed that US forces will continue to be committed to defending the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japanese media said.
