China rejects Japanese request to shut down Diaoyu Islands website

BEIJING - China rejected Japanese protest against a website for the Diaoyu Islands on Thursday, saying the Japanese demand to shut down the website is "unreasonable".

Following China's launch of the English and Japanese versions of a website for the Diaoyu Islands to demonstrate sovereignty, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday the site "distorts facts and reiterates China's own claim," which Japan "can never accept."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islands have been an inherent part of Chinese territory and China has abundant historical and legal evidence for that.

"Facts are facts. Whether Japan is willing to accept this or not, the fact cannot be changed," Hua told a daily news briefing.

The website, operated by China's State Oceanic Administration, aims to help people better understand the history of Diaoyu Islands and China's stance on the issue. Its Chinese version was launched on Dec. 30, 2014.

"China will not accept Japan's unreasonable request over the website," Hua said, urging the country to face up to history and respect facts in order to play a constructive role in properly resolving the Diaoyu Islands issue.

Territorial disputes over the Diaoyu Islands have existed between China and Japan. As both countries were normalizing relations in the 1970s, they reached consensus on "leaving the issue of Diaoyu Dao (Islands) to be resolved later."

In 2012, Tokyo moved unilaterally to "purchase" and "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands, seriously straining China-Japan relations.

In November 2014, China and Japan signed a four-point agreement to ease their tensions, including resuming political, diplomatic and security dialogue while acknowledging different positions on the Diaoyu Islands.