German paper publishes Chinese embassy's open letter on Diaoyu Islands
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E-mail Xinhua, October 24, 2012
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday published an open letter by the Chinese embassy that tells the truth to the German public on the Diaoyu Islands dispute and urges Japan to stop all acts that infringe Chinese sovereignty and return to the track of dialogueand negotiation to solve the issue.
The letter by the embassyspokeswoman Zhou Jian, named "Facts speak for themselves", saidthat it is necessary for the embassy to clarify the truth and factsof the Diaoyu Islands to the German public as the issue has drawninternational attention after tension escalated in the East ChinaSea due to "nationalization" attempts of the islands by theJapanese government.
The letter stressed that the DiaoyuIsland and its affiliated islets belong to China and have been aninherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times. China holdsindisputable sovereignty over them.
"In December 1943, the CairoDeclaration stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japanhas stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan)and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China,"the letter noted.
It also cited the PotsdamProclamation which stated in Article 8 that "the terms of the CairoDeclaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall belimited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku andsuch minor islands as we determine."
China has always insisted thatissues concerning the Diaoyu Islands should be solved throughdialogues and negotiations, the letter said, adding that theJapanese side has blatantly denied past consensus and createdfrictions and thus should take full responsibility over theescalated tension in the East China Sea.
Stressing China's unswervingdetermination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorialintegrity, the letter said China has always maintained restraintand striven to seek peaceful solution of the dispute as it valuesthe development of China-Japan relations.
It calls for mutual efforts toensure the healthy and stable bilateral ties and urges Japan tostop all acts that infringe Chinese sovereignty and return to thetrack of dialogue and negotiation to solve the issue.
"In this sense, I find it extremelyimportant that we look back the history in Germany, the birthplaceof the Potsdam Declaration, and advocate for compliance withinternational fundamental laws," the spokeswoman said at the end ofthe letter. Endi
