During his recent visit to Vietnam, the Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi made unscrupulous remarks against China, in which he falsely accused China of "attempting to change the status quo by coercion" in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands, of "escalating tensions" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea by enforcing China's Coast Guard Law, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs by raising the Taiwan question, to which China is firmly opposed. The Chinese Embassy feels obliged to "reciprocate" by making the stern statement as follows to get the facts straight.

First, the promulgation of the Coast Guard Law by China is an act of routine domestic legislation, which does not target any specific country and is entirely in line with international law and international practices. In fact, many countries, including Japan, have long enacted and enforced similar laws. The maritime area placed under China's jurisdiction in accordance with China's domestic laws and relevant provisions of international law is clear-cut, and China's maritime claims remain unchanged. China is consistently committed to properly addressing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation with countries directly concerned in the South China Sea, without resorting to force or the threat of force, while fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and formulating a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea consistent with international law including UNCLOS. China and countries concerned are fully capable and have the wisdom to jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Second, the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are inherent territories of China. The islands were illegally grabbed by Japan during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 through the Shimonoseki Treaty forced upon China. After Japan was defeated and surrendered in World War II, the Diaoyu Islands were returned to China as affiliated islands of the Taiwan region in line with international legal documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration. However, despite China's firm opposition, the United States and Japan illegally placed them under their trusteeship and jurisdiction, and Japan attempted to continue its occupation of the Diaoyu Islands. When China and Japan achieved the normalization of relations and signed the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the two sides set aside the dispute and reached understanding and common ground on "leaving the issue of the Diaoyu Islands to be resolved later", which led to the status quo, and constituted the basis and prerequisite for China to exercise restraint and not use its inherent power such as patrolling or law enforcement in the relevant waters for a long time. On the other hand, Japan has continuously taken unilateral actions in the Diaoyu Islands in recent years. By illegally exercising its "law enforcement power", implementing the so-called "nationalization" and through politicians' open statements, Japan unilaterally tore up the political consensus between China and Japan of shelving the dispute. The prerequisite for China's long exercise of restraint no longer exists. These are undoubted facts that show it is not China, but Japan that changed the status quo. Japan, as a thief itself, should not play the cop.

Third, Japan is the least qualified country to speak of the Taiwan question. In modern history, Japan's invasion of China's Taiwan region and its colonial enslavement of the people of the Taiwan region are stains that will never be washed away in the history of Japan's foreign aggression and expansion. The provocation by Japan's far-right political forces on the Diaoyu Islands issue and the Taiwan question is essentially an open denial of the victory of the world's peace-loving countries in the anti-fascist war, and a blatant challenge to the post-war international order based on the United Nations Charter. Japan's reckless behavior will only evoke the world's memories of Japan's disgraceful history. We suggest the Japanese side not forget what it has done, and not underestimate the strong resolution, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.