China slams Abe's territorial dispute Crimea analogy

BEIJING - A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry on Friday slammed an analogy drawn by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe between their territorial disputes and the situation in Crimea.

"He hypocritically pledged to improve China-Japan relations while speaking ill of China in the international community," said Hong Lei, referring to Abe raising the two countries' territorial disputes during a discussion on Crimea at the G7 meeting in the Hague earlier this week.

"His words again exposed his intention to confuse the public and defame China. However, this cannot deceive the international community," Hong told a regular press briefing.

The spokesman accused Japan of "illegally stealing" China's Diaoyu Islands and "breaking the status quo of shelving disputes."

Hong said that China's stance on the South China Sea and East China Sea is clear and consistent. China has unswerving will to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, while it will always stand for dialogue and consultation to control and solve disputes, he added.

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