PARIS, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Historical evidence shows that Diaoyu Islands belong to China, the Chinese ambassador to France said in an article published Wednesday, while expressing the hope that Japan would correct its wrongdoings over the issue as soon as possible.
In the essay, published on French daily Le Monde, Kong Quan noted that the China-Japan relationship, already shadowed by Japan's unacceptable attitude towards its past, has recently been jolted again by the Diaoyu Islands dispute.
Plenty of historical records, including a number of ancient maps stored in the National Library of France, demonstrate that the group of uninhabited islets are part of Chinese territory, he said.
Returning the islands back to China is a legal obligation Japan must follow after its defeat in WWII, Kong said, noting that the bilateral agreement reached by former leaders of the two countries to shelve the dispute was an important foundation for the normalization of China-Japan relations.
China, said the ambassador, needs a peaceful and stable environment to develop its economy and improve people's living standards, an undertaking that requires the efforts of generations.
However, from building lighthouses in the past to "nationalizing" the islands today, Japan has kept making provocations over the Diaoyu Islands issue, Kong added.
China and Japan are not only geologically close but closely connected both in economy and in culture, he said, noting that the two sides have also developed a strong interdependence in economy and trade.
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