Japan told to halt Diaoyu provocations

Defense spokesman urges concrete actions to safeguard bilateral ties

China has urged Japan to stop making provocative actions and misleading statements about the Diaoyu Islands, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The defense authorities of China and Japan held the third annual meeting of their maritime and aerial communication mechanism and the fifth round of working-level consultations on defense affairs via videoconference on Monday, Senior Colonel Wu Qian said in Beijing on Tuesday night.

The Chinese side had reiterated that the Diaoyu Islands are inherent parts of China's territory, and that fact will never be altered, no matter what Japan says or does, Wu said in a statement published on the ministry's website.

The Chinese side also urged the Japanese side to stop provoking China and making groundless accusations against China on the Diaoyu Islands issue, he said.

It expressed strong dissatisfaction with and serious concern over Japan's recent negative moves against China, asking the Japanese side to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, stop smearing China and use concrete actions to safeguard bilateral ties.

Wu said the Chinese side stressed that the passage of China's Coast Guard Law was a normal legislative move that conformed to related international laws and norms.

The Coast Guard Law was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in January and came into effect on Feb 1.

Wu said that during the meetings, the two sides exchanged views on such topics as maritime and aerial security policies, regional security situations and exchanges on defense affairs.

Upon reviewing the implementation of the maritime and aerial communication mechanism, the two sides acknowledged the mechanism's positive role in reducing misunderstandings and miscalculation and safeguarding maritime and aerial security. They also put forward suggestions, including opening a direct hotline as soon as possible.

The two sides agreed to continue improving the mechanism and promoting defense exchanges to increase mutual trust, diffuse misunderstandings, and foster a constructive bilateral security relationship, Wu said.

Song Zhongping, a military affairs commentator, said on Wednesday that there are two factors behind Japan's recent moves pertaining to the Diaoyu Islands, which it calls the Senkakus.

"The first is the United States' policies to comprehensively 'contain' China, which have been leading to the US continuously hyping up the Diaoyu Islands issue to strengthen the 'US-Japan consensus' and entice Japan to stubbornly stay by its side," he said. "The second lies in considerations for Japan's internal politics, including the coming election of the House of Representatives."

The US regards Japan as one of its pawns in confronting China, Song said, suggesting that Japan should strive for good relations with its neighbors, including China, rather than damaging such ties.

He said it would be wise for Japan to avoid provoking China on issues related to the Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan.

"Specifically, it should not follow the US' demand on a joint military exercise surrounding the Diaoyu Islands because such an act will be a grave provocation to China," Song said.

Japanese media have reported that the US and Japanese governments have begun talks on conducting large-scale joint drills to "increase their capability to protect the Senkaku Islands".