Diaoyu Islands: China's inherent territory
The Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets are "an integral part of Chinese territory". China’s stance on the islands has always been consistent and explicit.
China’s Foreign Ministry says Japan’s remarks that the Diaoyu Islands are part of its territory, sabotages China’s sovereignty. We take a look now at the history of the islands, and their inherent connection with China.
The Japanese government has discussed the terms of a contract of sale with the Kurihara family, who claim to own the Diaoyu Islands. The central government has agreed to pay more than 26 million US dollars for the purchase of part of the chain of the islands in the East China Sea. China’s Foreign Ministry has stressed that the Diaoyu Islands have been an inherent part of China’s territory since ancient times, adding that China holds indisputable sovereignty over the islands.
The Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets have been the inherent territory of China since ancient times, and were first discovered, named and used by the Chinese. The earliest historical record of the Diaoyu Islands can be dated back to China’s Ming Dynasty about 650 years ago in a book titled "Voyage With a Tail Wind," published in 1403. The book records the first usage of "Diaoyu Islet" and "Chiwei Islet". The names refer to the current Diaoyu Islands and Chiwei Islet.
Hu Zongxian, the Zhejiang governor of the Ming Dynasty, placed the Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets within China’s maritime defense system. It demonstrates that the islands have been within China’s maritime defense sphere since the Ming Dynasty. Japan claimed sovereignty during the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, seizing the islands by illegal means.
The Cairo Declaration issued after World War II stipulated that all territory taken by Japan illegally, including China’s northeast, Taiwan and Penghu islets, must be returned to China. In August 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration laid out that Japan must return Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets to China.
On September 18th, 1951, then Chinese Premier and Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai made a solemn statement on behalf of the Chinese government that the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed in San Francisco was illegal and invalid, and would not be recognized without the participation and signing of the People’s Republic of China.
In June 1971, Japan and the United States signed a pact to hand over Okinawa to Japan. The Diaoyu Islands were mapped into the handover area. China’s Foreign Ministry announced on December 30th 1971 that such a move was "totally illegal" and reiterated that the Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets were "an integral part of the Chinese territory".