Beijing: China on Monday protested to Japan over
its move to name some uninhabited islets near a disputed
island in the East China Sea, the official media reported.
A "solemn representations" has been lodged with Japan
over its plan to name uninhabited islets off the Diaoyu
Islands, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in
a statement.
According to reports, Japan plans to name 39 uninhabited
islands, including some surrounding islets of the Diaoyu
Islands, and these names would be added to Japan's map by the
end of March.
China claims Diaoyu islands, which are called Sankaku
islands by Japan were part of its sovereign waters.
Last year the two countries had tensions over detention
the skipper of a Chinese fishing trawler. He was subsequently
release after a prolonged war of words.
Liu said China has indisputable sovereignty over the
Diaoyu Islands and its adjacent islets that have been an
inherent part of China since ancient times.
Any unilateral measures taken by Japan on the Diaoyu
Islands and its adjacent islets would be unlawful and invalid,
Liu said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 30, 2012, 22:23