Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue reiterated Thursday that the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea and the adjacent islands are an integral part of the Chinese territory.

Zhang was commenting on a report that some people from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan had gone to the Diaoyu Islands to proclaim them as possessions of China.

The Chinese government and people were steadfastly determined to safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty, Zhang said.

China maintained that China and Japan should settle their dispute over the Diaoyu Islands through consultation, Zhang said.

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