BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets belong to the Chinese territory since ancient times, reiterated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao here Tuesday.

    Liu said China holds indisputable sovereignty over the islands in response to a question in this regard at the regular press conference.

    He said it is a fact that there are disputes between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, and China holds that the issue should be settled through negotiations.

Source: Xinhua