China Rebukes Clinton For Comments On Disputed Islets

China rebuked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday for her public backing of Japan's administration over a string of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

The islands are at the centre of a messy dispute between China and Japan. Clinton, speaking after meeting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, repeated the long-standing U.S. position that Washington acknowledged the islands were under Japan's administration, raising China's ire.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Monday that Clinton's remarks were a distortion of the facts.
``The relevant comments by the U.S. side neglects the facts and confuses right with wrong. China is extremely dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this,’’ he said.
``We urge the U.S. side to take a responsible attitude towards dealing with the Diaoyu Islands, be cautious in what they say and do and take concrete steps to maintain regional stability and overall picture of Sino-U.S. ties to gain the trust of the Chinese people.’’