On March 31, 2006, Qiu Guohong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China requested a meeting with Hidehisa Horinouchi, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in China, lodging a strong protest against the claim of China's Diaoyu Island as Japan's territory in the textbooks recently approved by the Japanese government for use in high schools.

Qiu stressed that China has incontestable, historical and legal evidence to indicate that Diaoyu Island and adjacent islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times. It is true that there are disputes between China and Japan over the ownership of Diaoyu Island. From the general prospect of China-Japan relationship, China has all along advocated resolving disputes through negotiations and on the basis of respecting facts.

Qiu pointed out that the claim of Diaoyu Island as its territory by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan in its approval comments for textbook is an obvious infringement upon China's territorial sovereignty and creates new obstacles of the resolution of the disputes through negotiations. Qiu also emphasized that any unilateral move by Japan regarding Diaoyu Island is illegal and invalid and will not waver the will and determination of the Chinese government and people to safeguard the territorial sovereignty of Diaoyu Island and adjacent islands.

Qiu said that China-Japan relations are experiencing grave difficulties. Both the people of the two countries and the international community long for quick improvement and development of China-Japan relations. The Chinese side has made great efforts to this end. We hope that the Japanese side could also make their efforts, pay attention to the solemn position and concern of China and take immediate actions to correct their wrong decisions and moves.

Minister Hidehisa Horinouchi agreed to report the Chinese position to the Japanese government and claimed that Japan also has its own position on the territorial issue. He also expressed the hope that bilateral ties will not worsen due to this dispute.