China pays great attention to the latest situation of the Diaoyu Islands, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) walks during a visit in Tokyo, Japan, November 25, 2020. (Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry)

When commenting on issues concerning the Diaoyu Islands on the sidelines of his visit to Japan, Wang noted that recently some Japanese fishing boats of unknown origin had repeatedly and frequently entered the sensitive waters off the Diaoyu Islands, adding that China had to make a necessary response.

China will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, he stressed.

The Chinese foreign minister called on both sides to earnestly abide by the four-point principled consensus reached between China and Japan, avoid taking actions in sensitive waters that may complicate the situation, and timely communicate and properly handle any relevant issues.

He also said that China and Japan should make joint efforts to truly build the East China Sea into “a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” which serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples.

Wang visited Japan from Tuesday to Wednesday.