Ministry of Defense reiterates position on Diaoyu Islands

The Chinese armed forces will firmly safeguard the country's sovereignty and security interests, the Ministry of National Defense said on Friday while responding to reports from the Japanese media.

The report said that ships belonging to the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force will be sent to urge Chinese naval ships to leave if they come within 12 nautical miles off Diaoyu Islands .

China's position on Diaoyu Islands is consistent and clear, the ministry said, Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islands have been China' s inherent territory since ancient times, thus the Chinese side has the right to carry out normal navigation and patrols in territorial waters off Diaoyu Islands.

We urge the Japanese side not to invert black and white or mix truth and fiction, the ministry emphasized.