China urges Japan to correct wrongdoing

China has urged Japan to "abandon any illusions" and correct its wrongdoing with credible steps, said Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun on Tuesday.

Zhang stated China's solemn position on the Diaoyu Islands issue during consultations with Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai.

After a request by the Japanese government, Kawai was received in Beijing on Sep 24 and 25 to talk about bilateral relations, focusing on the Diaoyu Islands issue amid the recent tensions between the two countries after Japan's so-called "nationalization" of the islands.

The two sides had a "candid and in-depth" exchange of views, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Emphasizing the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have been China's sacred territory since ancient times, Zhang said the Japanese side denied the important understanding and consensus reached between the older generation of leaders of the two countries by openly taking illegal actions, such as "nationalizing" the islands.

Zhang pointed out that Japan's acts are "highly offensive" to all Chinese people.

"This is an outright denial of the outcome of the victory of the (Second World War) and poses a grave challenge to the post-war international order," Zhang said.

Zhang urged the Japanese government to take tangible steps to guarantee the "sound and stable growth" of Sino-Japanese ties.

"(Japan) should recommit itself to the consensus and understanding reached between the leaders of the two countries and meet China halfway so as to bring China-Japan relations back onto the right track of sound and stable growth," Zhang said.