Beijing protests after Japan lawmakers visit disputed islands
The Peninsula
Tokyo: Beijing has lodged a protest with Tokyo after a group of Japanese lawmakers visited a disputed island chain, with the Chinese embassy on Sunday...
Tokyo: Beijing has lodged a protest with Tokyo after a group of Japanese lawmakers visited a disputed island chain, with the Chinese embassy on Sunday denouncing the trip as "provocative".
The five-member delegation led by former defence minister Tomomi Inada joined local government officials in conducting a maritime inspection on Saturday in the East China Sea around the Japan-administered Senkaku islands, known by Beijing as the Diaoyu.
"Diaoyu Dao and affiliated islands are China's inherent territory," a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Tokyo said, according to a statement posted on its website Sunday.
"In response to Japan's infringing and provocative actions, China has lodged solemn representations to the Japanese side."
The remote chain of islands has long fuelled tensions and is the scene of regular confrontations between Japanese coast guard vessels and Chinese fishing boats.
