By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid an escalating row between China and Japan over some disputed islands in the East China Sea, China’s envoy here said Monday the Indian government would be approached to present Beijing’s side of the case.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yan told a select group of Indian journalists here that the embassy’s minister counselor was planning to approach the Indian external affairs ministry to convey that Beijing considers Japan’s “purchase” of the Diaoyu islands to be “totally illegal and invalid”.
“Our minister counselor is planning to meet external affairs ministry officials,” Zhang said.
The interaction with the Indian media is part of China’s efforts through its missions in other countries to draw international support to its case that Japan should “correct its mistake” and come to the negotiating table to resolve the issue.
Zhang also said a military conflict between the two nations was “not something we want to see” and Beijing was keen on a diplomatic solution.
Asked about largescale protests across China, including outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing, and instances of acts of vandalism against Japanese property, Zhang said Japan’s “wrong action had aroused the indignation of the Chinese people” and the response of the people “was quite natural and understandable”. However, he added that China has provided necessary protection to Japanese people and their agencies and institutions in China.
Japan’s “purchase” of three of the five Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea has also led to protests by Chinese nationals in the US.
The Diaoyu islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese, have been in dispute for long. Japan claims it has occupied the islands since 1895 while China maintains the islands were recognized as Chinese as early as 1783.
The disputed islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, lie on a vital shipping route and are surrounded by large undersea hydrocarbon deposits.
Japan says it has controlled the islands since 1895 until its surrender at the end of World War II. The islands were controlled by the US from 1945 to 1972 and subsequently returned to Japan’s control. China claims the islands’ discovery and control since the 14th century.