German paper publishes Chinese embassy's open letter

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday published an open letter by the Chinese embassy that tells the truth to the German pubic on the Diaoyu Islands dispute and urges Japan to stop all acts that infringe Chinese sovereignty and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation to solve the issue.

The letter by the embassy spokeswoman Zhou Jian, named "Facts speak for themselves", said that it is necessary for the embassy to clarify the truth and facts of the Diaoyu Islands to the German public as the issue has drawn international attention after tension escalated in the East China Sea due to "nationalization" attempts of the islands by the Japanese government.

The letter stressed that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets belong to China and have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times. China holds indisputable sovereignty over them.

"In December 1943, the Cairo Declaration stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japan has 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 Potsdam Proclamation which stated in Article 8 that "the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine."

China has always insisted that issues concerning the Diaoyu Islands should be solved through dialogues and negotiations, the letter said, adding that the Japanese side has blatantly denied past consensus and created frictions and thus should take full responsibility over the escalated tension in the East China Sea.

Stressing China's unswerving determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the letter said China has always maintained restraint and striven to seek peaceful solution of the dispute as it values the development of China-Japan relations.

It calls for mutual efforts to ensure the healthy and stable bilateral ties and urges Japan to stop all acts that infringe Chinese sovereignty and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation to solve the issue.

"In this sense, I find it extremely important that we look back the history in Germany, the birthplace of the Potsdam Declaration, and advocate for compliance with international fundamental laws," the spokeswoman said at the end of the letter.