China slams Japan's moves to win support over Diaoyu

Chinese authorities strongly opposed Japan's moves to seek recognition for its claim over the Diaoyu Islands, China's Foreign Ministry said in response to Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba's planned visit to Europe to rally international support.

Whatever Japan propagandizes in the international community will never change the historical fact that it stole and occupied Chinese territory, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a regular press briefing Monday.

Also on Monday, Gemba held talks with visiting US Deputy Secretary William Burns over the island row. There is "no such thing as territorial issues between China and Japan" and he hoped the US could understand the stance, Gemba was quoted by Sankei Shimbun as saying.

"Japan's lobbying shows no repentance on the issue and will end up in vain. It should come back to talk with China with more sincerity," said Liu Jiangyong, a professor with the Institute of International Studies, Tsinghua University.

"Japan lacks sincerity in solving the dispute with China via diplomatic measures," said Wang Ping, a researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noting that a fleet review on Sunday was aimed at showing off its military muscle to China.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force held its triennial fleet review marking the 60th anniversary of the force's establishment in Sagami Bay off Kanagawa Prefecture on Sunday.

A total of 45 Japanese vessels including submarines, combat vessels, 18 aircrafts and some 8,000 troops participated in the parade, and were joined by vessels from the United States, Australia and Singapore.

Some scheduled displays were cancelled due to poor weather and visibility. A Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessel that had planned to attend the ceremony was absent from the proceedings, as it had been sent to the Diaoyu Islands to conduct a patrol mission.