BEIJING: Liu Jinsong, director general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held consultations with Kanai Masaaki, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, on Tuesday in Beijing, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Mao Ning told a regular news briefing on Tuesday that during the consultations, China once again lodged stern representations with Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s wrongful remarks regarding China.

China said Takaichi’s fallacies seriously violated the international law and the basic norms governing international relations, seriously undermined the post-war international order, seriously violated the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, fundamentally undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations, had extremely bad nature and influence and stirred up public anger and condemnation among the Chinese people, according to Mao.

She noted that China has earnestly urged Japan to withdraw its wrongful remarks, stop creating trouble on China-related issues, take concrete actions to admit mistakes and correct deviations, and safeguard the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

China does not accept unjustified representation by Japan over coast guard patrol: spokesperson

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory, and China does not accept the unjustified representation by Japan over the patrol by China Coast Guard (CCG) in its territorial waters.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing, in response to a query about media reports that four CCG vessels entered the waters around the Diaoyu Dao on November 16, and Minoru Kihara, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said the country has lodged stern protests over the patrol via diplomatic channels.

Mao said the CCG vessels conducting law enforcement patrols in China’s territorial waters are justified and legitimate, urging the Japanese side to respect China’s territorial sovereignty, refrain from obstructing CCG patrols, and avoid actions that could escalate the situation.